History Repeats Itself
by JewWitch
Summary: After the events of The Fifth Halliwheel, Phoebe gets a crashcourse in being a big sister. COMPLETE!
1. Default Chapter

History Repeats Itself 

By JewWitch

Summary: Takes place directly after "The Fifth Halliwheel." Circumstances cause Phoebe to realize she's been mistreating her little sister.

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I own nothing, obviously. Characters belong to Aaron Spelling, yadda yadda.

"…Which means that you already hated Cole," Phoebe finished quietly, refusing to meet her younger sister's eyes.

"I don't hate Cole," Paige said earnestly, looking from Piper back to Phoebe, who was still avoiding her gaze. "I just…I just don't trust him. I'm sorry."

"I am too," Phoebe said in a voice that was cold as stone, and walked out without sparing Paige so much as a backwards glance. Piper got up and followed her wordlessly, leaving Paige all alone in the corner of P3. Paige looked at the floor. The club began to swim around her as her eyes filled with tears. _Well, that's it_, she thought as she buried her face in her hands. _They hate me_. Six months ago she had been an only child, and a perfectly happy one, too. But now, her heart was breaking for her sister's pain. Pain that she had caused. She hadn't meant to hurt Phoebe—if anything, she wanted to protect her sister from whatever Cole had up his sleeve. But that was secondary to the simple fact that she had only been following the prime directive of the Halliwell household—she had been honest about her feelings. She had never been so honest in her life, in fact, as she had been since moving into the manor. It was scary as hell, but it had also opened up the world to her. She had never know safety and support like Phoebe and Piper had offered her…especially Phoebe. Piper had been hesitant to open up at first, scared of loving someone else she could later lose; but Phoebe had been there from day one, the big sister Paige had never known she was missing. She was so good, and smart, and powerful! And sometimes she was a big goofball; she always seemed to know when they needed to laugh. Plus, she let Paige borrow her cool date clothes. Paige had been overwhelmed by the sisterly love that was laid at her feet, no strings attached. She had soaked it up like a little sea sponge, even going so far as accidentally swapping their bodies when her first potion went awry. But Phoebe had forgiven her; Phoebe had always forgiven her.

But not this time. This wasn't about a botched potion or a miscalculated spell that caused an explosion or two. Paige didn't trust her sister's new husband, and by telling her so, she effectively forced her to choose between them. And obviously, Phoebe had chosen. Sniffing, Paige wiped at her eyes, and walked listlessly from the club.

At the manor, Phoebe was setting the table for dinner while Piper pulled a pot roast from the oven. Cole was on a business trip, and Leo was working late with one of his charges in the Indonesian rainforest, so Phoebe laid out only three places. The weather had been unusually warm and sunny all day, and they had flung open most of the windows in the house due to the lack of air conditioning.

"Dinner's almost ready, Pheebs…will you call Paige, please?" Phoebe sighed and cocked her head at Piper, hands on her hips.

"What?" Piper asked innocently.

"Don't 'what' me, Piper Marie Halliwell. I'm not gonna be in your little sock puppet theater starring the two sisters who make up after their silly sister fight, okay? I'm just not ready to talk to her."

"Well sometimes it's not just about what you need, sweetie."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you taking her side?"

"Phoebe," Piper sighed with a small smile playing at her lips, "this isn't about sides. You're a big sister now…and since that's a job I've had a little bit longer than you, I'll pass along some free big sister advice: Paige needs some assurance from you right now. She needs to know you still love her."

"Of course I still love her, Piper. Jeez! Don't be so dramatic. I'm just hurt that she doesn't trust me, after everything we've done—everything _I've_ done to keep her safe."

"This is my point exactly!" Piper exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "How you feel—like you just want her to trust you-- is exactly how _she_ feels, only she doesn't have a lifetime's worth of sisterhood to give her any perspective on the issue. Do I need to remind you of the Roger fiasco?"

"Oh, come on Piper. That is _so_ not the same thing!" Phoebe cried, but her heart gave an involuntary tug as she remembered how much it had hurt when Prue refused to believe that she hadn't tried to steal her fiancé. The jerk had come on to Phoebe, right in that very kitchen…and when Phoebe told him to go to hell, he had gone straight to Prue with an outraged story of how her slutty little sister had tried to seduce him. And Prue had believed him.

It wasn't that she was angry with Prue for not believing her…it was more that she was heartbroken. She had been honest, and her big sister looked into her eyes and told her to go to hell. It was a hurt so big, it had sent her running all the way across the country to get away from it. But this wasn't like that…she knew Paige wasn't trying to hurt her on purpose. And Paige knew it, too. Didn't she?

"You really think she'd think I didn't love her anymore?" Phoebe asked hesitantly. Before Piper could answer, an enormous thunderclap boomed through the house, and the sky outside opened up in a downpour.

"Auugh!" Piper shrieked. "Damn spring thunderstorms! Go close windows! Go, go, go!" Waving her hands, Piper bolted for the nearest window, slamming it down as rain gushed onto the hardwood floor.

Five minutes later, the two sisters stood panting in the upstairs hallway, both rather damp.

"Did we…get them…all?" Piper gasped.

"Yuh-huh," Phoebe nodded, leaning against the archway for support. For a moment, neither spoke, as both of them attempted to get their breath back.

"Did you see Paige anywhere?" Piper finally asked.

"Isn't she in her room?" Phoebe asked blankly, shaking some of the raindrops from her hair.

"Nope, I went in there to check if the windows were closed, and she was nowhere to be found."

"Huh." Phoebe cocked her head. She went to the window and looked down at the stormy street. "Her car's still here. Do you think she orbed somewhere?"

"She's barely got the orbing under control as it is…why would she orb away without telling us?" Piper asked, an edge of worry in her voice. "Leo!" She called out. A moment later, Leo appeared in his usual blaze of light.

"Can you sense where Paige is, honey? We seem to have misplaced her."

"You didn't misplace her, Piper," Leo assured his wife. "She's at Stinson Beach."

"What!" Phoebe squeaked. "In this downpour? What is she doing there, Leo?"

"I think that's a question you should ask her yourself, Phoebe," Leo said quietly. He took Piper's face in his hands and kissed her. "You guys go, okay? I'll keep dinner warm for you." Piper nodded dumbly, a second before Phoebe pulled her down the stairs.

"Easy on the arm, there, Arnold!" Piper quipped as Phoebe jerked her more forcefully to the door.

"Oh god Piper, this is all my fault! I made her feel like crap and now she's running away just like I did and oh god, what if something happens to her? What if some demon attacks her while she's alone? We have to go get her, Piper!"

"We are getting her, Pheebs, but we'll have better luck if we arrive in one piece, okay?" Phoebe nodded, her face very pale as she pulled their raincoats from the hooks.

"Right." Piper grabbed the car keys off the coffee table. "I'm driving."

Half an hour later, the jeep pulled up in the deserted beach parking lot. Which was not at all surprising, as the weather was hardly beach friendly at the moment. The wind was causing the icy cold rain to blow over the road as if by a will of its own, and Piper had been forced to take it much slower than she would've liked, as every time she turned a corner, there was hydroplaning involved.

"What the hell was she _thinking?_" Phoebe said for about the millionth time, her voice tight with worry. They both pulled their hoods up as they exited the car, wincing into the storm around them.

"She's just blowing off steam, Phoebe. I'm sure she's fine."

"Well she won't be after I'm done killing her!" Phoebe seethed, stomping out onto the beach.

"Oh, dear," Piper sighed, running after her little sister. "Listen, Pheebs, just remember how it feels to be the youngest, okay? That shouldn't be too hard for you." But Phoebe was staring off ahead of them, to where a lone figure was hunched at the edge of the water. Or, the edge of the ocean, at least—"the water" could now describe pretty much any place a person could be standing in San Francisco. Without a word, both sisters bolted toward the small form.

"Paige," Phoebe gasped when they finally reached their youngest sister, arms wrapped around her knees, eyes fixed on the ocean. "What are you doing here? You're drenched!" Phoebe sank down into the wet sand beside her sister, taking her cold hand in both of hers, trying vainly to warm it.

"It wasn't raining when I came," Paige said quietly, in a strange, monotonous sort of voice that sounded nothing like herself.

"Honey," Piper said soothingly, coming up on her other side, "let's get you home, okay? We can talk later, or whenever you're ready. We're gonna get sucked up in a typhoon, here."

"I'd deserve it," Paige mumbled, still staring out at the ocean. She had yet to make eye contact with either of her sisters.

"Paige, what are you talking about?" Phoebe asked urgently, grabbing her little sister's face with both hands and forcing her to look up. Her skin was cold as ice.

"I didn't mean to ruin your honeymoon, Phoebe," Paige said in a small voice, that finally broke as she burst into tears.

"Oh, baby, I know you didn't…it's okay, it wasn't your fault," Phoebe assured her, wrapping her arms around Paige's trembling form.

"I'm s-sorry," Paige hiccupped, burying her face against Phoebe's shoulder. "I t-t-tried to be a good sister…please don't hate me!"

"Sssh, honey, everything's okay…I could never hate you, Paige. You're my little sister, and that's forever. I will love you no matter what, okay?" Phoebe pulled back to look into Paige's reddened eyes.

"Okay," Paige nodded. Rain was dripping from the ends of her long black hair.

"Now let's take you home, before you catch your death." Phoebe stood up, tugging Paige with her, who stumbled slightly; she was stiff with cold. Piper was there in a flash, grabbing her other hand, supporting her as she found her balance. Slowly, the three sisters made their way back to Piper's jeep. Paige climbed shakily into the back seat, quickly followed by Phoebe, while Piper went to the driver's seat.

"What are you d-doing back here?" Paige stuttered through her chattering teeth.

"Are you kidding me?" Phoebe smiled at her blue-lipped sister with equal parts affection and exasperation. "Paige, you're shaking like a leaf. Somebody's got to warm you up!" With that, Phoebe reached over the seat and pulled up a fluffy blanket that had been left there after their last picnic in the park. She wrapped it snugly around Paige as Piper drove cautiously through the deluge, rubbing her arms briskly in an attempt to get her circulation going.

"It's okay, Phoebe, you don't have to---" Paige tried to say, but Phoebe would have none of it.

"Save it, okay? This is not the kind of thing a big sister can just stand by and watch. You look miserable. And when you're miserable, I'm miserable." She moved the blanket up to Paige's head as she spoke, rapidly rubbing her dripping hair. As she did so, the side of her arm brushed against Paige's cold ear, sending a chill up her spine.

"Oh, honey, you are absolutely frozen," Phoebe said sympathetically.

"I really didn't know it was gonna rain," Paige admitted, sniffling as she continued to shiver.

"Come here," Phoebe said quietly, pulling Paige tight against her, wrapping both arms around her in an attempt to share her body heat. Paige stiffened up at first, but the warmth coming from Phoebe's skin was too welcome to pull away from. Sighing, Paige relaxed against her sister.

"I'm so sorry, Paige," Phoebe said quietly after a few moments of silence.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Paige insisted, her eyes growing heavy as the trembling finally subsided.

"Yes I did," Phoebe countered, her fingers running soothingly through Paige's damp hair. "I told you to always be honest with me, with us, about how you feel…and the moment you do, I throw it in your face. I'm the one who should be sorry, Paige, and I am. You are my baby sister, okay? Nothing trumps that. _Nothing_." Paige looked up into Phoebe's loving eyes, and smiled. Then she took a quick, shuddering breath.

"Ah_choo!_" Phoebe gasped in surprise as Paige sneezed and orbed out, then back in.

"God _bless_ you!" Phoebe giggled. She wasn't sure she had ever seen anything quite so adorable. She looked automatically to the front seat.

"Did you see that, Piper?"

"What?" Paige asked hesitantly, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "Did I get snot all over your shirt?" She cringed slightly.

"No, silly," Phoebe grinned. "You orbed!"

"I did?" Phoebe nodded at a dumbstruck Paige.

"I must've missed that," Piper said with a curious glance to the back seat. "Good thing we're not in mixed company."

"Yeah…" Paige nodded in a daze. "This whole, having powers thing can be kind of a liability sometimes."

"You're not kidding, sister," Piper agreed. She gave the back seat one final glance before returning her eyes to the road. "Almost home, okay my girls? Just hang in there a couple more minutes."

"Okay, Piper," Paige said, sniffling. "Uh, do you have any…uhhh…_Achoo!_" Piper's jaw dropped as Paige sneezed and orbed again. "…Kleenex?" Paige finished lamely, once again being forced to wipe her nose on her sleeve.

"Here, sweetie," Piper grinned sympathetically at Paige as she handed her a small packet of tissues from the glove compartment.

"Poor baby, you _are_ getting sick. The minute we get home, you're going straight in the bath. Then you can try your first dose of Grams' marvelous medicine." In the front seat, Piper let out a snort of laughter. Paige looked at her questioningly.

"Let's just say, there's an inverse relationship between how well it works and how good it tastes," Piper grinned.

"Great," Paige groaned. "I can hardly wait…freaky medicine to go with my freaky cold." Her lips turned down in an adorable pout.

"You know what the upside to this little quirk of yours is, don't you Paige?" Phoebe asked with a smirk.

"Uhhh…what?" Paige asked blankly.

"It means that when you're sick…like now…we can keep you home and in bed until we're absolutely, positively, one-hundred-percent sure you're all better." Phoebe kissed Paige's damp cheek as she spoke.

"That's an upside?" Paige grumbled, her pout deepening.

"It is once you've had a taste of the legendary Halliwell TLC treatment," Phoebe said wisely, with Piper nodding in agreement.

"She ain't lying." Paige looked at Phoebe dubiously, one eyebrow cocked.

"Trust me, Paige…nothing makes you feel better fast like having two big sisters dote over you, and wait on you hand and foot."

"Well I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Paige asked, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"Nope." Phoebe smiled back.

"We're home," Piper announced. "I'll make hot cocoa and popcorn."

"And you, miss, will go straight upstairs and take a nice hot bath," Phoebe said in her most mom-like voice. Paige just nodded, too dumbstruck by her sisters' authoritative, almost parental manner to speak. "When you get out, we'll get nice and comfy and have a sister movie night. Okay, baby?"

"'Kay," Paige said quietly. Then she flung her arms around Phoebe's neck. "Love you guys," she said in a husky, slightly quivery voice. Then she climbed out of the car and went into the house.

An hour later, everyone was warm, dry, and snuggled under several fluffy blankets in front of the television. Piper had made good on her promise of cocoa, but Phoebe was withholding this particular treat in another rare showing of parental sternness.

"Honey, we have to take your temperature _before_ you have the cocoa," Phoebe explained in a soothing, pacifying voice. "Otherwise we won't get an accurate reading."

"Don't patronize me!" Paige whined. "I'm not five!"

"No, but you are sick, and cranky, and you are not getting this cocoa until we find out how hot you are." Phoebe held out the thermometer, raising one eyebrow expectantly. With a dramatic sigh, Paige finally opened her mouth, allowing Phoebe to stick the thermometer under her tongue.

"Good girl," Phoebe murmured, giving Paige a lingering kiss on the forehead. Piper watched silently. She knew that Phoebe was checking Paige's temperature; it was the same thing that Prue had always done with them. "I'll be right back with that medicine, okay Paigey girl?" Paige nodded, leaning back against the pillows. Her eyes followed Phoebe out of the room. Piper smiled, and snuggled up to Paige on the couch, running her fingers through her sister's black hair.

"You know, Paige, there are certain privileges that come with being sick in this house," she said as she began to gently rub the kinks out of Paige's neck. Unable to open her mouth, Paige simply raised one eyebrow.

"You get to pick the movie. And you get control over the remote. And, Phoebe and I will read to you and sing you lullabies at bedtime, if you want. It may sound silly…but it helps." Piper wasn't sure that her headstrong little sister would allow this type of coddling, but at least she knew she had the option now. And she certainly didn't look like she was objecting to the big sister treatment at the moment, as her head was drooped against Piper's shoulder, her hand wound around the hem of Piper's shirt like a little girl. It was the same way Phoebe used to cling to her when she had nightmares as a child.

"Okey-dokey," Phoebe hummed, returning to the living room with a tray balancing medicine and three mugs of Piper's famous hot chocolate. "Let's see how our girl is doing…" Phoebe plucked the thermometer from Paige's mouth, holding it up to the light and squinting slightly.

"What's the verdict, Doc?" Paige asked in a rather hoarse voice. "Am I gonna make it through the night?"

"A hundred and one point four, sweetie," Phoebe said gently. "I think it's safe to say you're in for a week of enforced pampering." Paige gave a forlorn sigh. Not missing a beat, Phoebe took the opportunity and tipped a spoonful of gooey red medicine down Paige's throat. Paige gagged and coughed.

"Hey!" she spluttered, her face contorted with disgust at the foul tasting concoction. "A little warning would be nice!" She continued to glare at Phoebe while Piper handed her the long-awaited mug of hot chocolate.

"Believe me, Paige," Piper assured her, "the quicker it's over with, the happier you'll be." Pouting, Paige sipped her cocoa.

"Has anyone ever told you how adorable you are when you pout, Paige?" Phoebe asked with a grin. Paige stuck out her tongue. Then, all three of them burst into giggles, but Paige's laughter quickly turned into a coughing fit. Before she knew what was happening, both her sisters were upon her, helping her sit up straight and raise her arms above her head. Soon the spell passed, and Paige slumped against the warm arms supporting her, exhausted.

"That sounded awful," Phoebe said in a concerned voice. She smoothed Paige's hair back and looked into her fever-bright eyes. "You okay, baby girl?"

"Can we watch _The Muppet Movie?_" Paige asked tentatively in response. Piper and Phoebe both grinned at her.

"It just so happens," Piper said as she rose from the couch, "that we have our very own copy…it's somebody else's favorite sick day movie, too." Paige and Phoebe looked at each other, and smiled.

"I guess I really do belong in this family," Paige joked, snuggling down deeper into her sister's warm arms.

"As if there was ever a moment's doubt," Phoebe replied, hugging her tightly.

By the time the end credits rolled, Paige was fast asleep in Phoebe's arms. Piper quietly gathered the empty mugs, dishes, and crumpled Kleenex from the coffee table, while Phoebe called for Leo in a barely audible whisper.

"Hey," Phoebe smiled at her brother-in-law when he appeared instantaneously at her side. It was awfully convenient having an angel in the family, she reflected. Looking down at Paige, she amended herself—two angels in the family.

"Can you orb us upstairs, please, Leo? I really don't want to wake her."

"No problem," Leo nodded as he put a hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "Her room or yours?"

"Hers," Phoebe said quietly, running her fingers through Paige's hair as she whimpered restlessly in her sleep. "I don't want her to wake up any more disoriented than she will be already." No sooner had she spoken, then the room around them dissolved in a million points of tiny white light, to rematerialize as Paige's bedroom.

"Thanks," Phoebe whispered, smiling at Leo as he left the room, and Piper came in, curling up next to Phoebe on the large bed.

"Do you think she's any cooler?" Piper asked quietly, smoothing the covers over her sisters protectively. Phoebe leaned down and gently laid her hand against Paige's flushed forehead.

"Actually, I think she's hotter," Phoebe said worriedly. "I wish we knew if she was prone to high fevers like you and me, you know? Cause if this was Prue lying here burning up, we'd be calling 911. We don't know what's normal for her." Phoebe's hand automatically stroked Paige's sleeping face as she spoke, an expression of mingled concern and devotion in her dark eyes.

"She'll be fine, Phoebe, it's just a nasty bug…she was probably sitting out there in that freezing rain for at least an hour before we got to her. Frankly, I'd be surprised if she _wasn't_ sick. We just need to make sure we keep her hydrated till the fever breaks."

"Maybe we could wake her up every couple of hours for fluids?"

"Yeah, I think we should." There was a pause as both Piper and Phoebe watched their baby sister sleep, one hand curled unconsciously around Phoebe's arm.

"We're sleeping in here tonight, right?" Phoebe asked eventually.

"Absolutely." Piper smiled and tousled Phoebe's already messy hair. "You know, you're getting pretty good at this big sister gig."

"Yeah, well, I learned from the best." Smiling, the two of them settled down on either side of their little sister. Soon all three were fast asleep.


	2. Getting Through the Night

**History Repeats Itself**—Chapter 2

By **JewWitch**

Okay, I know I have another story waiting to be updated—I am not abandoning _Godsmacked!_ I intended for this story to be a one-shot, but as there have been requests for another chapter, and I am a complete sucker for sister-bonding cuteness, I figured, why not. Consider it a palate refresher. I promise _Godsmacked_ will be updated soon!

Chapter 2 

Paige opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the unnaturally bright light of her bedside lamp. She was in a complete fog, and thoughts seemed to tumble in and out of her head at random. She couldn't remember exactly where she was, or what she was supposed to be doing. Weren't they fighting demons? Yes, that's what she did now. With her sisters.

"Gotta get the demons," Paige murmured hoarsely, tossing her head on the pillow as Phoebe held an ice pack to her sweaty forehead, trying to keep her sister from knocking it off in her fevered agitation.

"Shhh, honey, there are no demons now…you just need to relax. It's okay, baby, you're okay," Phoebe hummed, soothing her sister as best she could as she pushed her damp hair back from her flushed face. Piper walked in a moment later, carrying a glass with a straw bobbing out of the top.

"How's she doing?" Piper asked quietly, sitting down beside Phoebe on the bed.

"Completely out of it…poor baby." Phoebe picked up the washcloth that was sitting on the bedside table, and dipped it in cold water before gently wiping off Paige's face and neck, trying vainly to cool her down. The sensation seemed to rouse the restless girl, as her eyes opened again, this time seeming to actually see the room around her. She looked directly at Piper and Phoebe, blinking fuzzily.

"What's everybody doing in my room?" She murmured, one hand moving up to rub her eyes.

"We're just trying to keep you cool, Paigey girl. You've got a very high fever. Do you remember?" Paige looked confused, her eyes moving around the room in extreme slow motion.

"Were we fighting demons?" She asked croakily, with a deep cough.

"No, sweetie," Piper said soothingly, running her fingers through Paige's black hair. "There's nothing to worry about right now…do you think you can take a few sips of this for us?" She held up the glass as she spoke, threading one arm behind Paige's shoulders as she and Phoebe both helped their sister sit up. Paige was incredibly thirsty, and needed little encouragement to take the straw. After the first sip, however, she began to cough again, twisting onto her side as her breathing got away from her.

"Ow," she groaned when the coughing jag finally passed.

"Does your throat hurt, baby?" Phoebe asked, with obvious distress in her voice. Piper made a mental note to check in with Phoebe a little later…it was obvious to her that her younger sister was feeling guilty over Paige getting sick, and she needed to have that notion knocked straight out of her head before she really started torturing herself.

Paige was nodding up at Phoebe with tears in her eyes, one hand rubbing her throat.

"I know just what you need, Paigey…I'll be right back, okay?" Paige nodded as Phoebe got up and pressed the ice pack back against her brow. "Keep that there till I get back," she instructed, kissing Paige on the cheek before she left. Paige re-focused on Piper, her expression exhausted but more alert than she'd been all night.

"Piper?" she croaked.

"Yeah, honey?" Piper smiled at her youngest sister and stroked her cheek.

"Am I late for work?" Piper laughed.

"No, baby girl, it's four in the morning…and you won't be going to work for a few days. So just relax, Phoebe and I are taking care of you. Okay?"

"'Kay," Paige mumbled, rubbing her nose sleepily. There was something so purely innocent in the gesture, that for a moment Piper felt she could see her sister as a child; as if she had been there, in their lives, all along.

"We love you so much, Paigey," Piper murmured, leaning down to kiss her sister's hot temple.

"Love you," Paige sighed, her eyes sliding shut. Piper let her drift into a light slumber, continuing to stroke her hair, until Phoebe returned with a steaming mug in her hand a few minutes later.

"Oh…" Phoebe glanced at the quietly slumbering girl, then looked up to Piper with a pained expression. "She's finally sleeping peacefully. Should we wake her?"

"Yes, Phoebe, we should. Don't worry, she'll go back to sleep in ten minutes anyway, and she'll be a lot more comfortable once she has Grams' tea in her." Phoebe nodded, blowing gently on the tea as she sat beside Piper on the bed.

"Paige, honey, wake up for a minute," Piper cooed, shaking Paige's shoulder lightly. Paige's eyes fluttered; she looked up at Piper and smiled. Then she sneezed, glowing momentarily with white lights, but not orbing.

"Bless you, sweetie," Phoebe said gently, handing Paige a tissue from the bedside table. "Here—that sounded juicy." Paige laughed weakly, accepting the offering with a slightly embarrassed expression before blowing her nose for several long moments.

"Sorry I'm so gross," she said hoarsely, glancing nervously between her sisters as they helped her sit up again, and Phoebe began to spoon-feed her the tea.

"This is nothing, Paige, really," Phoebe assured her sister with a small grin. "Once I blew my nose on Prue's sleeve."

"And I puked all over Phoebe's shoes at a slumber party," Piper giggled.

"I was _wearing_ the shoes, Piper. You puked on my feet."

"Same difference," Piper shrugged, with a small wink for Paige, who couldn't help but smile back.

"Just let us take care of you, Paigey, and don't worry about anything. Okay?" Paige nodded, feeling herself relax as the hot tea soothed her throat. The comfort was short lived, however, as her runny nose began to itch again, and she fought the sneeze that was blooming with an adorable expression of concentration on her scrunched up face. Eventually, though, the tickle in Paige's nose overwhelmed her, and she leaned forward and sneezed into her hands several times. Each time the glowing white light of orbs was fainter and shorter.

"She's so weak, poor thing," Phoebe murmured, with a nervous glance to Piper. The idea of Paige being too weak to orb made Phoebe uneasy; it wasn't as if they could just take a "sick day" from demon attacks, after all.

"Why don't you go set up the crystals, Pheebs?" Piper asked. It was as if she had read her younger sister's mind—which, given the expression on her face, wasn't at all difficult for Piper.

"Good idea, Pipe," Phoebe agreed quickly, jumping up from the bed and practically sprinting for the attic. Paige, who had finally stopped sneezing, blinked up at Piper with a dazed expression as she rubbed her nose.

"Bless you, bless you, bless you, and bless you," Piper smiled, handing Paige the whole box of Kleenex this time.

"Thandks," Paige mumbled stuffily, a pained expression on her face as she rubbed her sore throat.

"Try to finish this tea, honey, it'll really help. Promise." Paige nodded, too exhausted to speak, and drained the tea as quickly as she could, eyes half-lidded, before slumping back against the pillows.

"Good girl," Piper praised her, taking the empty mug from her sister, who was rapidly falling into a heavy sleep. Piper hoped she'd sleep for at least six hours; in addition to soothing her throat and alleviating her congestion, Grams' tea would also give her sister a much-needed sedative, thus allowing her the rest she so desperately needed. Paige sighed sleepily.

"Wake me when it's time to go to the party," she mumbled.

"Promise," Piper assured her, kissing her forehead. Paige smiled faintly, dropping into a deep sleep.

The next time Paige opened her eyes, sunlight was streaming through her window, making lacy patterns in the dust motes floating through the air. For a moment, her mind was completely, blissfully blank. Then she swallowed, and the sharp bolt of pain that lanced down her throat snapped her into immediate wakefulness. She gave a low, pitiful whimper.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Phoebe said with an indulgent grin on her face as she sat on the bed next to Paige. She ran her fingers through Paige's hair, stopping to rest on her forehead. "Your temp's finally going down…that's good. How are you feeling?"

"My throat hurts," Paige groaned, in a gravelly voice several octaves lower than normal. "A lot."

"Poor sweetie," Phoebe cooed, still stroking Paige's hair. "Do you want some more tea?"

"More?" Paige said blankly. "Have you ever made me tea before?"

"You don't remember last night?"

"Phoebe, we had hot cocoa last night," Paige said slowly, with an air of patience about her as if she were speaking to a toddler.

"Before bed, when we were watching the Muppets, yeah. Do you remember anything after that?"

"Uh…" Paige screwed up her face, rubbing her eyes as if to clear her head.

"You had a rough night, baby girl," Phoebe said gently, smoothing her sister's long black hair back from her face. "Scared me a little, to be honest. Your fever got so high, and you were completely delirious. Sometimes you didn't even know where you were."

"Oh, shit," Paige groaned, shrinking back under the covers in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Pheebs," she mumbled, looking down at her hands.

"Oh, honey, no…don't apologize. No, no, no. That's what sisters are for. I couldn't stand the idea of you being so sick somewhere else, and not having Piper and me to take care of you. In fact…" Phoebe trailed off with a guilty expression, inspecting her fingernails closely as Paige had done a moment before. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I was so wrapped up in Cole, I forgot about being a big sister…I'm the one who sent you running off in the middle of a thunderstorm." Phoebe was practically trembling with guilt, and her lower lip began to quiver.

"Phoebe, this isn't your fault," Paige said gently, reaching out and threading her fingers with her sister's on top of the covers. "We had a fight, okay? It's nobody's fault. It's certainly not your fault I went running out half-cocked and got myself stuck in the rain. It was stupid of me, I knew I was making myself sick…I think, um, maybe I was trying to punish myself a little."

"Now _that_ really is stupid," Phoebe agreed. Then she threw her arms around Paige's neck and hugged her tight. "No more punishing, okay?" Paige nodded, sniffling quietly. Phoebe noticed, and handed Paige a fresh box of tissues from the bedside table.

"Now," Phoebe continued, resuming her mom-like tone of the night before, "how about some nice hot tea and chicken soup? Piper made it fresh for you before she left for work this morning."

"Oh my god!" Paige squeaked, suddenly wide-eyed. "Work! I have to call my boss! What time is it?"

"Honey, shhh, relax…it's almost one in the afternoon, we already called your boss. He said to take as much time as you need, and feel better. We told him you wouldn't be back for the rest of the week. And you won't," Phoebe said sternly, staring her sister down with a look that clearly said, _you don't want to mess with this_.

"Oh…okay," Paige conceded, relaxing back against the pillows. "What about your new job? Shouldn't you be at the newspaper? I'm okay by myself, really…" Paige trailed off as Phoebe cranked up her eyebrow.

"First of all, you are not okay by yourself; I doubt you could even stand up on your own right now. And second, my boss was fine with me writing my column from home today. See, there's this nifty new thing called email—"

"Oh, shut up," Paige groused, then began to giggle at the self-satisfied smirk on her sister's face. Her nose was running again, and she sniffed hard, grabbing a handful of tissues as another sneeze began to well up.

"Ahh…_Achoo!_"

"Bless you," said Phoebe, noticing that her sister's glowing was stronger than it had been last night, but she still wasn't orbing the way she normally did when she sneezed.

"Paige, can you orb?" Phoebe asked hesitantly. Even with the crystal alarm system set up, she wanted to know that Paige's powers were intact.

"Huh?" Paige looked at her blankly.

"Well, ever since your fever spiked last night, you haven't orbed when you sneeze; you just glow a little. I just want to know if you can still do it if you're trying." Paige nodded, and with a look of intense concentration, slowly dissolved into a field of white lights. Phoebe gave a huge sigh of relief. Then Paige orbed back next to the bed. Almost as soon as the glowing white lights disappeared, Paige realized that Phoebe had been right—she _couldn't_ stand up on her own. Overwhelmed with dizziness, Paige stumbled, but before any part of her connected with the hardwood floor, her sister's strong arms were around her, holding her up, guiding her the short distance back to the bed.

"Damn," Paige groaned, closing her eyes in hopes of alleviating the vertigo. "I haven't felt this awful since I quit drinking." Phoebe crawled into the big bed behind her and began rubbing her back soothingly.

"Sorry I made you orb, baby," Phoebe murmured, her own lack of sleep catching up to her as she laid her head on the pillow. "I just wanted to be sure."

"S'okay," Paige yawned, falling into a light trance under her sister's comforting touch. Within moments, they were both fast asleep, which is how Piper found them when she snuck home from the club an hour later.

"Rise and shine!" she announced cheerfully as she entered the room, expertly balancing a large tray. As soon as she'd set it down on the desk, she crawled into bed between her sisters, who were beginning to rouse.

"Hi Piper," Phoebe murmured, her voice still husky with sleep as she wrapped herself around her older sister's waist.

"Hey baby girl," Piper cooed, running her fingers through Phoebe's hair as her sister slowly woke up. The sound of sniffling drew her attention to her other sister, who was still asleep, though her eyes were fluttering.

"Pai-ige," Piper sing-songed, grinning despite herself at the adorable sight of her two sisters asleep together; Paige seemed to have developed a habit of curling one hand around Phoebe's arm while she slept, as if Phoebe were her own, personal life-sized teddy bear. And who could blame her? Piper was the first to admit that Phoebe was very cuddly.

"Wake up, Paigey girl," Piper hummed again, reaching over to stroke the sleeping girl's face. "Time for some lunch, honey." Phoebe, fully awake now, sat up and began to run her fingers through Paige's hair. Under their combined attentions, Paige's eyes finally blinked open. She smiled.

"I dreamt we went to the rainforest," she murmured, "and we had special jungle powers, and Piper said if we ate the fruit from the top of the Baobab tree, we could fly!" Piper and Phoebe looked at each other, and grinned.

"At least she's having nice dreams now," Phoebe shrugged. Piper laughed and pulled them both into a hug.

"Are you feeling any better, baby?" Piper asked, feeling Paige's head and looking into her eyes.

"Yeah, a little," Paige nodded. "My throat still hurts, but not as bad as before."

"Well, your fever's down, but you still feel pretty warm, and your voice is all croaky. Fortunately, we have just the thing for that." Piper turned and gently brought the tray onto the bed. "More of Grams' medicine, and some of my chicken soup."

"Mmmm, you made enough for all of us! Thanks, Pipe," Phoebe said happily, giving Piper a kiss on the cheek.

"Here, Pheebs, this is for you, too." Piper tossed her a small glass bottle.

"Are you vanquishing me?" Phoebe asked blankly. Paige giggled, and sneezed.

"Bless you," Piper and Phoebe both said at the same time. Then Piper added, "It's Echinacea, Pheebs."

"But I'm not sick," Phoebe argued.

"Yes, and I want to keep you that way. You've been breathing Paige's germs in all night."

"What about you?" Phoebe asked shrewdly, looking for any way out of having to take the foul-tasting tincture. Piper held up another small bottle, grinning at Phoebe with a look that said, _you're not weaseling out of this._

"Okay, okay," Phoebe groused. "Let's get it over with." They both pounded back the contents of the small vials like shots of vodka, Phoebe adding to the effect by making a sour face afterwards and taking a large gulp of water from her glass. Paige grinned at her sister's antics, her own discomfort momentarily forgotten, until her nose began to itch again.

"God damn it," Paige grumbled, sniffling hard and rubbing her nose roughly with her knuckles, "I am so sick of all this…_Achoo!_…sneezing."

"Here, take your medicine," Piper said in her mom-voice, holding out the spoon. Paige obediently opened her mouth and allowed Piper to tip the bitter-tasting concoction down her throat. "That should keep you sneeze-free for a few hours."

"And if it doesn't, Piper's soup will," Phoebe added, pulling one of the steaming bowls toward herself. "It's the bestest chicken soup in the whole wide world!" Piper grinned at her sister's praise, quickly seconded by Paige once she tasted it. She couldn't believe how much better she felt with Piper's soup soothing her throat and filling her stomach. Lying in her bed, warm and snug between her two sisters, Paige silently thanked whatever power was out there that had brought her back to them. It was with this thought chasing through her head that she drifted back to sleep, dreaming of the three of them flying over tall mountain peaks, rushing rivers, and ancient redwoods.


	3. Fever Dreams

**History Repeats Itself**

**By JewWitch**

**Chapter 3**

Paige was running down the field in her brand new cleats, a present from Prue for her eleventh birthday. They fit her perfectly, the hard rubber spikes digging into the earth, making her feel faster and stronger than ever. Her large brown eyes were wide with determination as the ball came at her from the right side of the field, setting her up for a perfect goal. Without stopping to think, Paige slammed the ball as hard as she could, watching breathlessly as it sailed past the goalie with a triumphant _whoosh_, just before the air horn blasted, signaling the end of the game. The entire field erupted in cheers. Paige stood grinning like an idiot, not even noticing that she was nearly being crushed by the many hands reaching out to pat her on the back.

"Look, Paige," Glenn said, pointing to the bleachers with a smile. "Your sisters are here!" Paige looked up and saw Phoebe, Piper, and Prue, all jumping up and down in the stands and screaming her name. Prue was still wearing her cheerleader's uniform, which meant she must have come straight from practice. Paige ran to them, elated; she hadn't thought they'd be able to make it.

"You came! You came!" She shrieked, leaping into Prue's arms to be swung around and around until she was dizzy. "Prue, stop, I'm gonna barf," she giggled, collapsing against her sister's strong shoulder as the spinning finally subsided.

"You rock, Paigey!" Phoebe exclaimed, pounding her sister on the back. "That was soooo exciting!"

"I'm extra-fast because of my new cleats," Paige explained modestly, kicking out her feet to display the prized footwear.

"I think you're extra-fast because you're Paige," Prue said with a quiet smirk on her face. "I saw you run faster than that when Grams told you to take a bath last night!" Giggling, the four sisters made their way toward Prue's Jeep, Paige talking a mile a minute about every play she'd made during the game. She was still recapping her final triumph when they pulled into the driveway. As the sisters passed through the doorway into the manor, Paige suddenly fell silent. A cold, disquieting prickle fell over her, causing her to reach for Prue's hand.

"Paige? What's wrong, hon?" Prue asked, cocking one eyebrow at the trembling girl. Paige tried to answer, but her voice died in her throat. An icy cold chill ran down her spine as the house was plunged suddenly into darkness, which no one else seemed to notice. She reached out to grab Piper and Phoebe, but they were already gone. Paige began to shiver violently as her whole body was filled with dread. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"Prue…" Paige finally choked out, her voice a barely audible whisper. "Something bad is after us." She tried to pull her sister out of the house, but her feet were frozen, no longer the swift inhabitants of the miraculous cleats. "We have to go…please, we have to go!"

"It's okay, Paige, nothing's gonna hurt you, I promise." Prue gave her sister a warm, assuring smile, her blue eyes serene. "He's not coming for you." Paige shook her head, desperate to make her sister understand. A cold wind began to swirl through the house, blowing paintings off the walls; the chandelier fell with a thunderous crash, sending tiny shards of glass everywhere. Paige felt herself screaming, but only the tiniest whisper of sound came from her throat. She was so cold. She tried to call out to Piper and Phoebe, but it was no use. Paige clung to Prue helplessly, telling herself over and over, _nothing's gonna hurt us_. Then the front door exploded inward with a resounding boom that shattered the windows, and in a whirl of blue wind, there appeared the demonic hit man—Shax.

"PIPER!" Paige shrieked at the top of her lungs, her voice exploding out of her along with the doors and windows. "PHOEBE!" She still clung to Prue's hand, unwilling to let her sister do battle with the demon alone. But Prue stood calmly before the terrifying monster, squeezing Paige's hand reassuringly.

"It's okay, Paige," Prue said quietly, her voice carrying over the noise of rushing wind and smashing furniture. "I'll always be here to protect you."

"No, Prue, don't!" Paige sobbed, but it was too late. Shax threw Prue across the room, sending her crashing through the opposite wall with a sickening, bone-crushing thud. Paige closed her eyes and screamed. "PIPER!" She sobbed uncontrollably.

"I'm here, Paigey, I'm right here," Piper soothed her hysterical sister, who lay thrashing violently on the bed. "Sssh, honey, please wake up now…it's okay, baby, you're just having nightmares…" Piper wiped the sweat from Paige's face with a damp washcloth, looking at Phoebe with a tense expression in her eyes.

"I've never seen her like this," Phoebe said quietly, stroking her trembling sister's hair in a vain attempt to soothe her. "Do you think we should take her to the hospital?"

"I don't know, Pheebs," Piper said quietly, gently wiping the tears from Paige's flushed cheeks. "I don't really think they can do anything for her…they'll just keep pumping her full of fluids and icing her down till the fever breaks, and we can do that here. I'd just as soon have her where she's comfortable…if she wakes up in the hospital, she'll be even more confused." Phoebe nodded, biting her quivering lip as her own tears began to fall.

"Oh, honey," Piper cooed, crawling across the bed to Phoebe and wrapping her sister in her arms. Phoebe broke down and sobbed, clinging to Piper desperately.

"Just let it all go, Phoebe…I know it's hard…Paige is gonna be just fine, okay?" Phoebe nodded against Piper's shoulder, hiccupping as she cried herself out. She just couldn't stand to see her sister like this, in so much pain, unable to even recognize the comfort being offered to her in her delirium.

"Phoebe?" Paige's weak voice roused her sister from her place on Piper's shoulder. "Is the demon gone?"

"Paige," Phoebe cried happily, throwing herself down on the bed to hug her sister's limp body. "You gotta stop scaring me like this," she whispered, kissing Paige's hot cheek and smoothing her sweat-soaked hair back from her face.

"Prue saved me," Paige murmured, blinking sleepily with unfocused eyes.

"No sweetie, it's just the fever giving you bad dreams," Piper hummed soothingly. She took the ice pack from beside the bed and held it against Paige's forehead. "Is that any better, honey?"

"No," Paige mumbled, shaking her head, "it was real…Shax came…he killed Prue…I couldn't stop him." Piper and Phoebe looked at each other as Paige began to cry. Was Paige really remembering something she had never witnessed? Was she channeling somehow? Or was it just a crazy fever dream?

"It's all my fault," Paige sobbed, wrenching away from Piper's comforting touch to curl herself tightly in a ball, burying her face in the pillow.

"No, baby, it wasn't your fault," Phoebe soothed her, snaking one hand under Paige's soaked pajama top to rub her back. "You were dreaming, Paigey, it was just a bad dream…" Paige flinched away from Phoebe's hands as if the gentle caress caused her pain, sobbing even harder.

"Piper, she's burning up," Phoebe said quietly as she removed her hand from Paige's back. "We have to do something." Piper nodded.

"Leo!" A whirl of orbs heralded the white lighter's arrival.

"What is it, Piper?" Leo asked, slightly breathless. Then he saw Paige, and his jaw dropped. He hadn't been home since they'd brought her back from the beach the day before, sniffling and sneezing. He was totally unprepared for the girl who lay before him now, soaked with sweat, completely delirious with a raging fever. Her hair lay tangled and damp on the pillow, and her eyes were glassy and distant, not seeing her family around her. If he didn't know better, he'd say Paige was suffering from a bad acid trip.

"We need a little help here, honey," Piper said, trying to keep her voice even-toned and soothing; even if Paige wasn't coherent enough to understand their words, she was sure a calm tone of voice was preferable to hysteria.

"Of course," Leo nodded, automatically reaching out to Piper and laying a reassuring hand on her back. "Anything."

"Great, can you orb us a bathtub full of ice, please, and fill it in with cold water?" Leo nodded, and quickly disappeared in a field of white lights. In less than five minutes, he was back, and orbed the four of them into the bathroom.

"Thanks, honey." Piper smiled reassuringly. "Now get out."

"But don't you need—"

"Leo," Phoebe smirked, "Do you really want to face Paige after she wakes up to find out you saw her naked?"

"Oh…" Leo blushed. Piper grinned. He was just so easy sometimes. "Right, okay…well, you guys just call if you need, uh…anything…" Piper waved him off with the patient air of someone who was quite used to taking care of her family.

"We can take it from here, Leo, really. But thanks for your help." With a quick kiss for his wife, Leo was gone.

"You know, Phoebe," Piper said quietly as the two sisters gently peeled off Paige's sweat-soaked pajamas, "Prue and I have taken care of you in this exact state on more than one occasion. You used to get the worst fevers as a kid."

"Really?" Phoebe cocked her head. "I don't remember ever getting dumped in a tub full of ice."

"That's because you were delirious, you ninny," Piper smirked and rolled her eyes. "The point is, this is nothing we can't handle. It runs in the family, ya know?"

"I know," Phoebe conceded, a small smile creeping onto her face as she contemplated Paige taking after her in some way—even if it was only a fever. "Who do you think she gets her stubbornness from?" They both quirked their eyebrows.

"Prue!" they exclaimed in unison, erupting in laughter.

Once they got Paige in the tub, it was only a few moments before she began to stir. She let out a long, low groan as her eyes blinked open, slowly taking in the room around her, and finally settling on her sisters.

"Piper, I'm cold," she groaned, her voice weak and very hoarse.

"I know, sweetie, I'm sorry…we just need to keep you in here a little longer to cool you down. Just a few more minutes, okay?"

"No," Paige whimpered piteously, crossing her arms over her chest as her teeth began to chatter. "I wanna get out now!"

"Looks like somebody's waking up a bit," Phoebe observed with a wide smile. "It's good to hear that squeaky little voice, Paigey. When we get you back to bed I'll make you some nice hot tea, okay?"

"Piss off, Phoebe," Paige grumbled, turning her head away. Phoebe looked at Piper, and shrugged.

"I'll take grumpy Paige over incoherent Paige any day," she observed, feeling a small rush of relief that Paige was at least cognizant of her surroundings. And who could blame her for being grumpy? No one could enjoy being dumped in a tub full of ice, especially when you're too weak to get yourself out again.

"Just a few more minutes, Paigey girl," Piper assured her shivering sister. "Just think about something else, okay?"

"W-what else am I s-supposed t-t-to think about?" Paige stuttered, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. "The arctic c-circle?"

"Um…how about what you were dreaming when you had that big smile on your face?" Piper suggested brightly. "Can you remember?" Paige looked at her blankly for a moment, then swallowed and nodded.

"I d-dreamed…I was a kid…here…w-with all of you. Prue w-w-was there. You guys c-came to my s-soccer game." Paige was going to say more, but trailed off into a fit of sneezing instead. Phoebe and Piper shared a brief look over Paige's head, as they both imagined growing up with their spirited little sister added into the mix. The thought filled them both with a momentary burst of sunshine, followed by a small ache at all that hadn't been; everything they'd missed.

"Okay, let's get her out of there before she starts sneezing internal organs out her nose," Piper grinned, taking Paige by one wet, now cool arm, while Phoebe took the other. Carefully, they helped a weak and trembling Paige step out of the tub, and wrapped her in a large, fluffy towel. Between the two of them, they somehow managed to get her dried and dressed in fresh pajamas, and back to the comfort of her bed. They also noticed that Leo had changed the sheets while they were gone, and Piper made a mental note to thank him for it later. He would, without a doubt, make a wonderful father some day. Perhaps even some day soon.

"So, Paigey, what would you like for dinner?" Phoebe asked brightly. "You can have anything you want."

"I can't think about food," Paige winced. "My throat still hurts too much."

"Poor baby," Phoebe murmured, leaning forward to kiss Paige's forehead.

"Well, you have to eat something, sweetie," Piper said sternly, sitting down on the bed with the thermometer in her hand. "Think about it while we take your temperature, okay?" Paige nodded rather listlessly, allowing Piper to slip the thermometer under her tongue. The three of them sat silently for a few moments, as Paige finally gave into the comfort her sisters were lavishing upon her. Her eyes closed as Piper's hand ran gently through her damp hair, and Phoebe's cool fingers grazed lightly over her back. When Piper pulled the thermometer out of her mouth, Paige started slightly, as if she'd been half-asleep.

"Sorry, baby," Piper smiled lovingly at Paige, then directed her attention at the digital readout in front of her. "Well, looks like the igloo-bath did its job," she pronounced happily. "You're back down to a hundred and one point two."

"Yay," Phoebe smiled at Paige and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Why, how high was it before?" Paige questioned, raising her eyebrows at her sisters' enthusiastic response to her temperature.

"Last time we checked, it was a hundred and four," Phoebe said seriously. "And that was before you got so crazy out of it that we couldn't even get you to take the thermometer."

"Jesus," Paige groaned, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her for how much trouble her sisters were going to in caring for her. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble, you guys," she mumbled meekly.

"Paige, what did I tell you this morning? Stop apologizing! You are exactly where we want you to be, and it is our god-given right to make as big a fuss over you as we want."

"And on that note," Piper smiled lovingly, "have you decided what you want for dinner?"

"Um…" Paige still wanted to say _nothing_, but she knew it was useless to go up against her sisters on this. Besides, she was far too weak to fight them. "I can't really think of anything that would be better than Piper's soup." Piper beamed, and quickly bustled out of the room to prepare dinner for the three of them.

"Hey," Phoebe called after her, "I'm hungry for real food! Will you make me a grilled cheese?"

A little over half an hour later, Piper returned from the kitchen with the same large tray she'd used to bring them lunch. Now it was loaded down not only with soup, tea, and medicine, but two plates of grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, plus a heap of carrot and celery sticks. Piper was so focused on not spilling anything from the overloaded tray, that she didn't register the minor argument between her two sisters until after she'd set it firmly on the desk.

"That's gross, Phoebe, no way!" Paige insisted, refusing to take the jar of Vaseline from Phoebe's outstretched hand.

"Paige, you're being ridiculous. It will make you feel better, I swear!"

"I'll look like an idiot!" Paige insisted, shrinking back against the pillows in an effort to get as far away from the offending jar as possible.

"Well you're already a carbon copy of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I don't think a little Vaseline will make much difference. Besides, it's just the three of us here! Who do you think you have to impress?"

"Phoebe, I am not putting Vaseline on my nose." Paige crossed her arms in a pout.

"Looks like somebody's feeling better, if you've got the energy to pout," Piper observed, a small grin quirking her lips. "What one earth are you two arguing about?"

"I'm just trying to help her feel better," Phoebe growled, a matching pout forming on her own face. "She can't stop sneezing! Look at her nose." Paige pulled the covers up over her face, so only her eyes were visible.

"Vaseline isn't gonna make me stop sneezing," She said sulkily from behind the blankets, "It'll just make me look stupid, and probably give me pimples."

"No, dummy, it'll make your nose feel better," Phoebe insisted with a roll of her eyes. "Isn't it sore as hell?"

"Well…yeah," Paige finally conceded. "But I still don't want…" Paige trailed off with a shaky breath, her eyes fluttering behind the covers. She quickly dropped the blankets, her hands flying to her face just in time to cover her sneeze. She couldn't help the whimper of pain that followed.

"Bless youuuu," Phoebe hummed in an I-told-you-so voice.

"Ohkay, already," Paige grumbled, still pouting behind a handful of Kleenex as she blew her nose. "Just give be the damnb stuff." Paige's voice sounded so cute when she was all stuffed up, Phoebe couldn't help the giggles that erupted from deep inside her, immediately joined by Piper.

"It's not nice to laugh at sick people, you know," Paige whined, grudgingly taking the jar from Phoebe's hand, and swirling out a small gob of Vaseline on her finger.

"Oh, honey, we're not laughing at you," Piper assured her grumpy sister, who gave her a disbelieving look. "You're just so damn adorable, sometimes we can't help ourselves!" Paige rolled her eyes while tentatively rubbing the goopy stuff on her very red, very tender nose. In truth, it didn't really look any different, anyway—instead of just being red, now it was red and shiny.

"Ru-dolph the red-nosed rein-deeeer," Phoebe hummed under her breath.

"Shut up!" Paige cried, creaming Phoebe with her pillow. Normally Phoebe would've been all too happy to start an full-on pillow fight, but she knew that Paige's sudden burst of energy would fizzle out almost as quickly as it appeared, and the last thing she wanted was make her sister over-tax herself. So instead, she simply reached over and tickled Paige's ribcage. Paige shrieked with laughter, rolling around on the bed with her feet kicking in the air. Piper watched the two of them with a wide, silly grin plastered on her face. Sometimes it really _did_ feel as if Paige had been there all along.


	4. Sisters Always Share

History Repeats Itself

Chapter 4

By JewWitch

By the time Piper came back upstairs after clearing away the dinner dishes, she found both Paige and Phoebe fast asleep in the large bed. A small grin quirked her lips automatically as she took in what was fast becoming one of her favorite sights, pulling up the blankets protectively around her two adorable little sisters. After spending a few minutes fussing over them, smoothing back their hair and checking Paige's forehead again, Piper was satisfied that they were both sleeping peacefully, and quietly crept from the room to tidy up the rest of the house. For the past 48 hours, all three of them had been pretty much living in Paige's bedroom, and the rest of the house had fallen quickly into a state of minor chaos. There was plenty of sweeping, vacuuming, and dishwashing to keep her busy while she danced and sang along with the radio, happy to be getting things back to normal. Paige's fever had been going steadily down since the afternoon, and Piper felt sure that the worst was over. Now they could all look forward to a few well-earned vacation days, lazing around the house and pampering their baby sister while she got her strength back. In fact, she thought, why wait? Grabbing her keys, Piper left a quick note on the table—_gone for videos and ice cream_—and quietly slipped out the back door.

When she returned home, the first thing Piper heard was the sound of coughing echoing down the stairs. _Ooh, that sounds awful_, Piper thought with a wince. _Guess it's time to give Paige another dose of Grams' medicine_. She was quite startled, when she walked into the kitchen with movies and ice cream in hand, to find Paige standing there wrapped in a warm robe and a pair of fuzzy slippers.

"Honey, what are you doing out of bed?" Piper chided gently. Paige looked up guiltily, but made no move to pull away as Piper rushed up to her and felt her pale face. "You're still pretty warm, but you're not scalding anymore…I think the fever's finally broken." She smiled encouragingly at her little sister and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Then a thoughtful frown quirked her features. "Wait a minute," Piper murmured. "If you're down here, then who did I hear coughing upstairs?"

"I think I got Phoebe sick," Paige whimpered miserably. "I'm sorry!" Her brown eyes shone with tears.

"Oh, Paigey, it's not your fault," Piper soothed her, putting one arm around her distressed sister and guiding her into a chair. "It happens, okay? It's not the end of the world." Paige nodded, still sniffling miserably. "Here," Piper handed her a tissue and rubbed her back soothingly, "let's get you back upstairs, and we'll see how Phoebe's doing, okay?"

"'Kay," Paige hiccupped. The tea kettle whistled, causing Piper to turn and notice two cups sitting by the stove.

"Aw honey, were you making tea for the both of you?" Paige nodded.

"She was coughing so much in her sleep, I figured her throat would hurt when she woke up." Piper hugged her thoughtful little sister.

"Well you don't have to worry about that now, I'm gonna take care of everything. Okay?"

"What if we make you sick too?" Paige asked meekly.

"Oldest sisters never get sick," Piper said with a wink. Paige gave her a disbelieving smirk. "Well, okay, maybe not _never_," Piper conceded. "But only when no one else is sick. That's just the cosmic order."

Peeking back into Paige's bedroom, Piper's eyes fell immediately on her sweet baby sister, who was obviously not sleeping peacefully. She had thrown off all the covers, and was curled up in a ball in the corner of the bed, shivering. Her face was flushed, and her hair was damp with sweat.

"Oh, my poor little girl," Piper sighed, sitting down next to Phoebe's trembling form and running her hand gently up her sister's leg.

"Uhhhh…" Phoebe mumbled in her sleep, and twisted further onto her side as her small body was wracked with a hard, deep cough. Piper rubbed her back until it passed, leaning down to kiss her little sister's hot forehead. Paige sat down on her other side.

"Piper?" Phoebe croaked. She was already losing her voice, just like Paige. _My two little froggies_, Piper thought with a small grin.

"Hey there, little one," Piper hummed, stroking Phoebe's hair back from her face. "Do you think you can sit up and swallow some of this medicine for me?"

"I'm not sick," Phoebe murmured hazily, rubbing her eyes. "Just fell asleep…where's Paige?"

"Right here, tough stuff," Paige smiled gently, curling up against Phoebe's back. "You can't get rid of me that easy." Disoriented, Phoebe automatically took her sisters' hands as they both helped pull her up into a sitting position.

"Open up, sweetie," Piper cooed, holding out a spoonful of the detested red goo.

"Piper, I told you, I'm not—" Phoebe never got the chance to finish her sentence, as the spoon was shoved unceremoniously into her mouth.

"Hey!" Phoebe whined, making the sour face that amused Paige so.

"Your turn, Paigey," Piper continued brightly, completely ignoring Phoebe's complaints. Paige swallowed the bitter red liquid without comment. Then Piper handed them each a mug of the hot, sweet tea. "Drink up, my little froggies," she grinned. Phoebe ignored her sister's offering, pushing past her to wriggle out of bed.

"I told you I'm…" Phoebe gave a small whimper, as an intense wave of dizziness washed over her the moment her feet hit the floor. She would have fallen if Piper hadn't been there to catch her.

"Save it, grumpy smurf. You're not going anywhere with that fever."

"I don't have a fever," Phoebe insisted with a whine, though she didn't fight when Paige curled up tightly against her side, wrapping one arm around her stomach to keep her pinned to the bed.

"Pheebs, I could fry an egg on your forehead," Piper exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. With an exasperated sigh, she reached over to the bedside table, waving the thermometer in front of her stubborn sister's face. "Let's just see, okay?" With a dramatic sigh, Phoebe reluctantly opened her mouth, allowing Piper to slip the thermometer under her tongue.

"Boy," Paige mumbled from her place on Phoebe's shoulder, "I thought _I _was stubborn."

"You should've seen her when she was little," Piper giggled, running her fingers soothingly through Phoebe's brown hair. "Stubborn as a mule! And she'll never admit she's sick, either," she added pointedly, with an affectionate smirk for her younger sister. Phoebe glared back at her with a pout that, combined with the thermometer sticking out of her mouth, made her look no more than five years old. "I remember this one time when Grams went away for a romantic weekend with husband number four, and Prue was left in charge of us…"

"Phoebe! For the last time, dinner's ready! Get your ass down here!" Prue hollered up the stairs, hands on her hips. "What does she want, a written invitation?"

"You sound just like Grams," Piper giggled. "Should I get you some prune juice, grandma Prue?"

"Oh, hush, you," Prue smirked. "I could still make you do the dishes!"

"In your dreams, prom queen," Piper sniggered. "I cooked."

"Yeah, well I have a date with Andy tonight, and I am _not_ gonna be late because your rebel-without-a-clue sister won't come to dinner!" With that, Prue stomped up the stairs and pounded on Phoebe's door. Unsurprisingly, there was no response. Finally, Prue simply opened the door and marched in, fully expecting to be pelted with dirty laundry and screamed at to get out. But no flying legwarmers came her way. For a moment, Prue thought thirteen-year-old Phoebe had snuck out again—the room was dark, and there was no sign of her youngest sister. But as her eyes adjusted to the dim evening light, Prue noticed a small, Phoebe-shaped lump in the middle of the bed, hidden under a pile of covers.

"Pheebs?" Prue called tentatively. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," came a muffled reply from beneath the blankets. "Leeme alone."

"Hey," Prue said gently, sitting down on the bed and pulling the blankets down until she found a head of dark, disheveled hair poking out. "What is it, Pheebs? Talk to me. Did something happen at school? A fight?"

"Nothing happened," Phoebe mumbled, still hiding her face from her sister. "I just wanna be by myself, okay?" Prue reached out and ran her fingers gently through her sister's messy hair.

"Oh, Phoebe," she gasped, "You're burning up! Why didn't you say something?"

"I'm _fine_," Phoebe snapped, her voice growing thick with tears. "Just go on your stupid date, okay? _GO!"_ Curling herself up in a ball, Phoebe began to cry.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby," Prue hummed quietly, gathering her distressed little sister into her arms and rocking her as she cried. They stayed that way for a few moments, Phoebe's tears slowly easing in the comfort of Prue's strong arms. Finally, with a deep, steadying breath, Phoebe looked up into her sister's patient blue eyes.

"Sorry I'm making you miss your date," she mumbled, resting her hot cheek against Prue's shoulder.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, little one," Prue said soothingly, using her childhood nickname for her youngest sister. She had outgrown it years ago, but in times like this—when she was upset, or not feeling well—it comforted her. "I wouldn't ever leave you when you needed me."

"Really, Prue?" Phoebe asked, sniffling quietly.

"Really." Phoebe smiled, then her body bent forward in Prue's arms with a loud "Ah-_choo!"_

"Bless you!" Prue giggled, always amazed that someone so little could have such big, explosive sneezes.

"Ugh," Phoebe groaned, trying to cover her nose and mouth with her hands. "Uh, Pwue…do you hab ady kleedex?"

"Here, sweetie," Prue smiled adoringly at the sniffling Phoebe, and in an act of supreme love and devotion, wiped her baby sister's nose with her sleeve.

"Hey," Piper called, popping her head through the door curiously. "What's going on up here? Dinner's getting cold!"

"Piper, can you bring us a box of tissues?" Prue asked innocently. Phoebe giggled in spite of herself.

"…So that was the sleeve incident." Paige smiled at her sister, who looked back at her with a shy grin. Then her large brown eyes filled unaccountably with tears as Piper pulled the thermometer from her mouth.

"A hundred and two, baby girl," Piper sighed, wiping away the tears that were spilling down her sister's cheeks.

"I miss Prue," Phoebe whispered.

"I know, little one," Piper said soothingly, crawling into the big bed with her sisters. "So do I." She kissed Phoebe's hot forehead and hugged her tightly. Paige looked down at her hands, feeling guilty as always that she was here, while Prue was gone.

"She would have loved you so much, Paigey girl," Phoebe said huskily, with a big, beautiful, teary smile.

"Really?" Paige asked in a small voice.

"Absolutely," Piper agreed, giving Paige her smile as well. "I see so much of her in you, Paige…it's almost like having a piece of her back." Paige couldn't think of anything to say to that, so she simply threw herself across the bed and hugged both her sisters tight.

"Okay," Piper finally sighed when she was released, "we've got movies and ice cream downstairs, who's game?"

"What kind of ice cream?" Phoebe asked in a little-girl voice.

"Oh," Piper said airily, "just peanut butter cup and chocolate-raspberry ripple."

"Those are my two favorite flavors," Paige said happily. "How did you know?"

"They're all our favorites," Piper said simply, smiling softly as her two sisters snuggled up against her in the big bed. "Prue's too."

Piper had expected her sister to fall asleep during the movie, but when the end credits rolled on "The Breakfast Club," they were both still awake, if not completely. Paige was yawning and blinking sleepily, while Phoebe was shifting restlessly between her sisters on the couch.

"I think we better get the both of you up to dreamland," Piper said quietly, getting up and stretching with a few satisfying pops.

"I can't sleep, Piper, I hurt too much," Phoebe whimpered, burying her face against Paige's neck, who reached out and stroked her hair sleepily.

"Sorry you're sick, big sis," she murmured, leaning down and kissing Phoebe's ear. "It's my fault."

"Not your fault, dummy," Phoebe sighed, looking up from her sister's warm shoulder. "Don't be stupid."

"That's just Phoebe's way of saying she loves you," Piper assured Paige, helping her to her feet and wrapping one arm securely around her waist. "Can you walk back upstairs, Paigey?"

"I wanna stay with Phoebe," Paige said softly. Phoebe, now alone on the couch, looked up and smiled.

"That's sweet, little sis, but I think I'll keep you up all night with this cough. You really need your rest."

"You stayed up with me the last two nights, didn't you?" Paige persisted.

"Sweetie, you won't be doing anyone any good if you get yourself sicker," Piper reasoned, lightly rubbing Paige's back. "You've been crazy with that fever for the past two days; now you can finally get a good night's sleep. I'll take good care of Phoebe tonight…and in the morning, you can have her all to yourself, okay?" Paige nodded, looking down miserably at her fuzzy slippers.

"Hey," Phoebe croaked, smiling crookedly up at her little sister. "Wanna paint my toenails tomorrow?" Paige nodded. "Good. Now come kiss me goodnight." Paige threw herself on her sister, kissing her on both cheeks and her forehead.

"Love you," she murmured.

"Love you too, baby girl," Phoebe sighed, squeezing her sister tight. Then Piper leaned down and, following Paige's lead, covered her little sister with kisses.

"I'm gonna take Paige up to bed, and then I'll be back for you…okay, my baby?"

"'Kay," Phoebe nodded. "Night, Paigey."

"Night, Pheebs," Paige called sleepily. It took Piper and Paige a few minutes to make their way, slowly but steadily, up the stairs, but the moment Paige's head hit the pillow, she was out. Piper didn't even have a chance to tell her youngest sister she'd be back to check on her before she was snoring softly, a stray lock of hair fluttering gently in front of her face with each breath. Smiling, Piper leaned down and kissed her, tucking the curl back behind her sister's ear.

"I love you, little one," she whispered in the sleeping girl's ear. Stealing one final glance at her youngest sister, Piper backed out of the bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. That way, if Paige needed her during the night, she'd be able to hear. Then she padded back downstairs, thinking good thoughts about Prue. All the times Prue had put her own needs and desires aside to care for her and Phoebe, always looking out for them. The nights she'd spent listening to Piper cry when the popular kids teased and bullied her; the sweet lullabies she'd sung to them when Phoebe had night terrors. She felt the sadness, the ache of missing her big sister; but she also felt a strange serenity. In some way, she could still feel Prue—not the memory of her, or the idea of her, but Prue herself, right there next to her. It was as if her sister was guiding her, teaching her how to be the oldest, and Piper knew for the first time since Prue's death that her survival wasn't a betrayal. She wasn't erasing Prue's memory by taking her place; she was honoring it.

"Hey, there's my girl," Piper smiled warmly at Phoebe who lay curled up on the couch rubbing her eyes. "Can we get you upstairs, baby?"

"I dunno," Phoebe admitted. "I feel kinda spinney."

"Just climb on my back, kiddo," Piper said soothingly. "The bus to your bed is about to leave."

"I'm too big for you to carry me, Pipe," Phoebe murmured sleepily. "It's okay, I'll sleep on the couch…"

"No way, Jose," Piper shook her head. "You're hotter than a Hibachi grill, I want you where I can stay next to you all night, and this couch ain't big enough for the both of us. Besides, you know you'll be more comfy in your nice big bed. And, you don't weigh a pound more than you did when you were fourteen," she grinned. "I could carry you over my shoulder if I wanted to."

"'Kay," Phoebe agreed with a weak smile, sitting up and wrapping her arms around Piper's neck, and laying her head down on her shoulder. With her big sister carrying her up to bed, humming "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," Phoebe felt about eight years old. It was a feeling that persisted as Piper tucked her in, and curled up next to her holding an ice pack to her forehead.

"Tell me the story of the day I was born," Phoebe murmured sleepily, her hand winding into the fabric of Piper's top.

"Well…it all started on the night of November 18th, 1975, when Prue and I were eating dinner at Buddy's with Grams," Piper began, rubbing light circles over Phoebe's stomach with the pads of her fingers. "Mom was bringing us our burgers, when all of a sudden she dumps everything on the ground, right in front of us, and says, _Girls, your sister is on her way!_"


	5. Getting Creative

History Repeats Itself

Chapter 5

By JewWitch

Paige slept like a rock for almost 8 hours before waking up to use the bathroom. Feeling strong enough to walk herself, she decided not to call for Piper, who she hoped was sleeping. She didn't know what time it was, but it was still dark, and Paige had every intention of going straight back to sleep. Carefully, she sat up and found her slippers in the thin shaft of moonlight flooding her bedroom. Using the bedpost for support, Paige stood on shaky legs, allowing herself a moment to stave off the dizziness that threatened to put her right back down. It passed quickly, though, and tentatively Paige made her way down the hall. She got to the bathroom without incident, and by the time she stood washing her hands over the sink, she felt more awake, and more clearheaded, than she had in days. Splashing some cold water on her face, Paige glanced at her reflection, afraid of just how awful she might look. One look at her face made it plain that she wasn't back to her old self quite yet—her normally pale complexion was still flushed with the fever, her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was a mess, and her nose was still very red from all the sneezing and rubbing. _Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,_ Paige thought with a wry grin, remembering the nickname that Phoebe had teasingly given her the day before. She hoped her sister wouldn't get too sick; no matter what Phoebe or Piper said, she still felt guilty for giving her sister her germs, especially since Phoebe had been taking care of her at the time. Tiptoeing back down the hall, Paige decided to sneak a quick peek into her older sister's room, just to make sure she was okay.

Finding the door ajar, Paige silently poked her head into Phoebe's room, her gaze quickly finding both her sisters in the dim light. Phoebe was curled up in a ball, half on top of Piper, who was reading quietly to her sister, one hand holding the book, and the other gently rubbing Phoebe's back. Several partially drunk mugs of tea littered the bedside table, and a faint humming sound drew Paige's attention to the humidifier billowing out small clouds of steam in the corner.

"…So I am going to the banks of the great, gray-green, greasy Limpopo River, to ask the Crocodile what he has for dinner," Piper read, not seeing her youngest sister in the doorway. Paige recognized the story Piper was reading from her own childhood; it was one of her favorites, from _The Just So Stories_ by Rudyard Kipling. From the familiar way Piper read the words, and the weathered fabric of the book's cover, it was obviously one of their favorites, too. Paige tiptoed quietly into the room, and curled up behind Phoebe, feeling the intense heat radiating off her sister. Without a word, Paige reached across to the bedside table and picked up the damp cloth that had been discarded there, next to a bowl of ice water. She carefully squeezed the excess moisture from the cloth, and held it against Phoebe's forehead. Phoebe sighed quietly.

"Thanks, Paigey," she whispered, her voice so hoarse it sounded as if she'd swallowed a bag of broken glass.

"Shhh," Piper gently chided her, "no talking. You'll just start coughing again." Phoebe nodded slightly to show Piper she was listening, and leaned back into Paige, closing her eyes. Paige's eyes closed, too, as Piper continued to read, transporting them to a faraway world of curious elephants, cunning crocodiles, and shrewd, bi-colored python rock snakes. Within a few minutes, Paige was nearly asleep again. Then Phoebe's body shook with a violent coughing spasm, jolting all three of them into immediate alertness. Piper reacted first, dropping the book and pulling her sister up hard against her, holding both her arms above her head while Phoebe gasped for breath. Paige wanted to help, but the sound of her sister fighting for air terrified her. She hesitantly reached out and laid one hand against Phoebe's back, feeling the heaving in her chest. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Easy, baby, you're okay," Piper was murmuring, one hand pushing Phoebe's damp hair off her face while the other held both her sister's thin wrists above her head. "Just breathe…good girl…I've got you." Phoebe collapsed against Piper's chest, breathing hard. A tiny whimper escaped her lips, but she didn't try to talk. Paige was equally speechless, her hand still firmly on her sister's back, proof that she was still breathing. Tears of pain poured down Phoebe's flushed cheeks as she bit her lip to keep from sobbing, obviously afraid to provoke another coughing fit.

"I know it hurts, baby," Piper crooned, rocking Phoebe gently and cradling her head like an infant. "Just keep breathing, that's good…shhh…" Looking up, Piper noticed Paige still sitting on Phoebe's other side, looking almost as distressed as the quietly crying girl in her arms.

"Paige, honey, I think you should go on back to bed," Piper said gently. "We're not gonna be getting much sleep in here."

"I can't just leave you both here like this, Piper," Paige said desperately with a shake of her head. "Please don't ask me to. I won't sleep anyway; I'll just lie there and worry. Please, Piper, let me stay with you." Piper sighed.

"Okay then…go get your pillow and some blankets, and bring them to the bathroom."

"The bathroom?" Paige echoed blankly.

"Yup," Piper nodded. "We need to get this girl breathing easier, and the humidifier just isn't cutting it. Prue did it once with me when I had pneumonia—you turn the shower up as hot as it can go, and open the curtain so the whole bathroom fills up with steam. It works great, but it'll probably be a little uncomfortable; you can still go back to bed if you want, sweetie."

"No," Paige insisted, happy to have something concrete she could do to help. "I'll come. You just wait here with Pheebs while I get it nice and comfy in there." Paige leaned down and gently kissed Phoebe's hot cheek, tasting the saltiness of her tears. "We're gonna make you feel better, Pheebs, I promise." Phoebe smiled weakly, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Determined to ease her sister's suffering, Paige quickly crawled out of the big bed and scampered down the hall, pulling as many pillows and blankets as she could carry into the upstairs bathroom, and turning on the shower to a scalding hot blast. Within a few moments, the small room was hazy with thick clouds of steam. Paige wanted to orb them in from the bedroom, but Piper flat-out refused, worried that Paige was ignoring her own body's needs in her concern for Phoebe. Eventually, the three of them found their way to the impromptu steam room, which Paige had made very cozy. Piper managed to get herself into a fairly comfortable position against the wall, propped up on a nest of fluffy blankets, with Phoebe leaning back against her. Paige curled up next to them, her head resting on Piper's hip.

"Paige, promise you'll go back to your room if you start to feel lightheaded," Piper said quietly, combing her fingers through the dark hair spilling across her side.

"'Kay," Paige murmured, though privately she thought that no power on earth could move her from this spot. The fabric of Piper's pajamas was soft and cool against her cheek, and the feel of her sister's fingers running through her hair made Paige feel safe, protected and loved, in a way she hadn't since her parents died.

"And how are _you_ doing, little one?" Piper asked Phoebe, who dropped her head back against her sister's shoulder and looked up at her with a weak smile. Piper smiled back. Then Phoebe reached up and tapped her fingers against Piper's lips.

"Okay, baby, I'll sing." Paige and Phoebe both closed their eyes as Piper's soft voice wove through the steamy room, slowly but surely guiding them away from the cold hard tile of the bathroom floor, and into the gentle world of dreams.

The next time Paige opened her eyes, it took her several moments to remember why she was staring at the bathtub. Pale morning sunlight glinting into her face, Paige sat up and rubbed her eyes as the memory of the night before came flooding back. She turned over to look at her two sisters, both still asleep on the pile of blankets next to her. They both looked so young, she thought, barely more than teenagers. Piper still had both arms wrapped protectively around her little sister, who looked extremely pale in the morning light. Still, she was breathing, and right at that moment, that was all Paige cared about. She leaned across her sisters' sleeping bodies to lay her head down on Phoebe's chest, listening to the steady in and out of her breath.

"I used to wake up with her lying on me like that," Piper murmured, blinking at Paige with a sleepy smile. "She'd crawl into my bed whenever she had a nightmare, and just put her head down on my chest, and listen to my heartbeat. She always said my heart sang her lullabies." A sweet smile touched Piper's lips as she reached out and rested her fingers gently against Paige's forehead.

"Your fever's down," she said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Paige yawned, sitting up and blinking in the morning light. She noticed the shower was still running, and got up to turn it off.

"Well I want you to take it slow, okay? Don't go jumping back into anything too soon; you're not Supergirl."

"But I do have super-powers," Paige pointed out with a smirk. "Want me to orb you and Pheebs back to bed?" Piper looked ready to say no; but then she glanced down at Phoebe, who was still fast asleep, and touched her face.

"You sure you're up to it?" Piper asked cautiously.

"Sure I'm sure," Paige grinned, stretching her stiff arms over her head with an enormous yawn.

"Okay…" Piper said slowly, "but then you need to take your medicine, and go straight back to bed."

"Aye aye, captain," Paige said cheekily with a formal salute. Piper grinned.

"You _are_ feeling better, aren't you?"

Paige followed her sister's instructions to the letter, but after lying in bed for almost an hour, she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep anymore. With another long, luxurious stretch, Paige rose and headed for the bathroom, looking forward to a nice, long shower. She was keenly aware of the several days' worth of dried sweat that clung to her skin, and her hair felt as if it might turn to dreadlocks at any moment. With the warm water sluicing over her sticky skin, Paige felt refreshed and rejuvenated, as if the sickness were being washed from her body. She spent several minutes lathering her hair, and even scrubbed behind her ears and between her toes, like she did when she was little. She remembered the game her mother used to play with her when washing behind her ears—_What are you growing back there, Paigey?_ Then Paige would make a big show of considering the question, before coming up with an answer: potatoes, spinach, broccoli, whatever struck her fancy. The memory actually made Paige laugh out loud, right there in the shower. She knew her parents were still watching over her (though she hoped they weren't watching right at this exact moment). Ever since her sisters had sent her back in time to deal with her feelings of guilt over their deaths, she'd found a peace she had never imagined possible. Not only had they seen everything she'd worked so hard to become since her troubled adolescence; they'd seen her sisters, too. And she knew they weren't angry, or hurt, that she had found her blood family. Knowing that had made it so much easier for Paige to embrace her new sisters wholeheartedly, without guilt or confusion.

Stepping out of the shower, Paige glanced at her reflection, happy to see how much better she looked. Her sisters had certainly taken good care of her, and she was determined to return the favor now that she was feeling a bit better. Dried and dressed in fresh, clean pajamas, Paige padded lightly down the hall to Phoebe's room, and peeked in. Piper was still asleep, but Phoebe wasn't. She lay silently staring out the window, her face still horribly pale, but without the pained expression of the previous night.

"Hey," Paige whispered, coming in and sitting next to Phoebe on the bed. She smiled encouragingly at her sister, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. She could feel the fever still heating her face, but she seemed alert, so Paige wasn't too worried. "Want me to bring you some medicine, sweetie?" Phoebe held out one hand, palm up, and with the other pantomimed writing on in. "You want a pencil and paper?" Phoebe nodded. "Okey-dokey, I'll be right back. Don't you move a muscle." Paige tapped her finger on Phoebe's nose, trying to look stern. From the smirk on her sister's face, it obviously wasn't working, but Paige was equally happy to get a smile out of her. A moment later, Paige reappeared with a pad and pencil, handing to Phoebe, who wrote: _Tea?_

"You want some tea, honey?" Phoebe nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back." Paige was about to get up when Phoebe's hand reached out and pulled her back down, writing another note. _Don't rush. You're still sick too_.

"I'm okay, Pheebs, I can make some tea. I feel a lot better today, thanks to my two nurses." Paige winked, and earned another small smile from her sister. "Be right back, okay?"

Five minutes later, Paige was back with the tea, as well as another dose of medicine, which she made Phoebe take immediately. She was going to help her sister drink her tea, but Phoebe shook her head and stubbornly pointed at Paige, then the medicine.

"Okay, okay," Paige relented, amused that her sister still had the ability to boss her around, even with no voice. She quickly swallowed the bitter red liquid, then turned and gave Phoebe a smile. "Happy, Mom?" Phoebe nodded. Paige giggled. Then she patiently helped her weak and exhausted sister sit up, and slowly spoon-fed the hot tea to her. A long, low sigh from the other side of the bed let them both know that Piper was stirring.

"Hey…" Piper murmured, blinking dazedly as she sat up in bed. "What are you guys doing? Why didn't you wake me?"

"Cause you needed to sleep," Paige said simply, with Phoebe nodding emphatically beside her. "You're not Supergirl, you know." Piper pouted at having her own words thrown back at her by her baby sister, but she couldn't well argue. "Besides," Paige continued, "we're okay here…aren't we, Pheebs?" Phoebe nodded, a small sigh escaping her lips as Piper reached out and felt her head.

"Oh, honey, you're still so hot," she sighed. "I think we'd better get some more medicine into you." Phoebe pointed to the bottle on the bedside table beside Paige. "Oh," Piper said blankly. Then she narrowed her eyes at Paige suspiciously. "I thought I told you to take it easy, Paigey."

"I _am_ taking it easy," Paige assured her, stretching out on the bed next to Phoebe and blinking up at Piper with big, innocent eyes. "See? Easy!" Piper chuckled in spite of herself.

"Okay, miss, just as long as we're clear…you can make tea, and you can get things for Phoebe if she asks, but absolutely no working, lifting, cooking, or preparing things of any kind. Are we clear?"

"Yeah Pipe, I got it. Don't worry, I promise to be as lazy as possible." Piper couldn't help the huge smile that blossomed on her face then; Paige had never called her _Pipe_ before, the way Phoebe did. She couldn't believe how good it felt; such a tiny thing, but right now, with both her little sisters smiling up at her, she felt like flying.

"Okay, then," she smirked, finally allowing the moment to pass. "And _you_, little girl," she said to Phoebe, reaching over to ruffle her hair, "will not move from this bed without a helper. And absolutely, positively, no talking of any kind for the next 24 hours." Phoebe nodded, in no hurry to test the wary peace she'd made with her throat by not using it. Piper leaned down and gave them each a kiss on the cheek, then rose to make breakfast.

"Oatmeal okay?" she asked, tying her hair back into a ponytail. Phoebe nodded.

"Uh, do we have any…uh…" Paige sniffled, grabbing a handful of tissues from the bedside table. "Ah-_choo!"_ Then she disappeared.

"Paige, you orbed!" Piper said happily, once her sister had reappeared.

"Is that supposed to be a good thing?" Paige grumbled, squinting as she blew her nose.

"Of course it is, silly," Piper grinned. "It means you're getting your strength back."

"Oh." Paige turned when Phoebe tugged on her sleeve. She held up her notepad. It said, _Bless you_.

"Thanks, Pheebs," Paige grinned.


	6. double trouble

**History Repeats Itself**

**Chapter 6**

**By JewWitch**

"C'mon, Pheebs, you have to eat. Just three bites, okay?" Piper held the spoon patiently in front of her sister's mouth, but Phoebe's lips stayed firmly shut.

"Phoebe, please," Paige begged, sitting on her sister's other side with a distressed expression on her pale face. "You know you can't get better on an empty stomach. Anyway, you made me eat—you don't want me to think you're a hypocrite, do you?" Phoebe sighed and turned her face away, eyes half-lidded, looking as if she wanted to go back to sleep.

"Phoebe." Piper put the bowl of oatmeal aside, and held her sister's overheated face firmly between her hands, forcing her to make eye contact. "I am not kidding around. Either you eat here, or I _will_ take you to the hospital, and they can give you an IV. You choose, baby girl." Phoebe's expression was beyond mutinous, but she was in no position to resist-- and on balance, she seemed to reach the conclusion that the energy required to eat a few bites of oatmeal was far less than the amount required to make a trip to the hospital and get poked with needles. With a resigned sigh, Phoebe finally opened her mouth, allowing Piper to feed her.

"Good girl," Piper murmured, stroking her sister's pale cheek. She looked up and gave Paige a reassuring smile. Paige had seemed to need a lot of reassurance since Phoebe had gotten sick; it was sweet, in a way, the instinctual way Paige seemed to latch into Phoebe's basic well-being to feed her own. Piper remembered Phoebe exhibiting the same behavior when either she or Prue was sick or hurt when they were kids; a single tear from Piper, and Phoebe would immediately fall to pieces.

"Still want me to paint your toenails, honey?" Paige asked sweetly, stretching out against Phoebe's side and stroking her hair very lightly. Phoebe shrugged half-heartedly. Even though her notepad and paper were lying on the bed right next to her, she didn't seem to have the energy to pick it up and write anything

"Well, you're already lying here, might as well get pretty doing it. Right Paigey?" Piper winked. Paige nodded, and wiggled out of bed to get her polish. Once she was out the door, Piper said quietly, "I know you're feeling really awful right now, baby, but try to remember that Paige still needs you to be her big sister. Just be nice to her, okay? Let her comfort you; you might be surprised how much better you'll feel." A guilty expression clouded Phoebe's face, and she nodded. Piper leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. "That's my girl," she murmured. Sitting back on her heels, Piper regarded her sister with an unreadable expression. "I'd be so lost without you, Pheebs," she said finally, her eyes wide open, hiding nothing. Phoebe smiled at her big sister, and opened her arms. Piper crawled into them, hugging her with a contented sigh.

"Okay," Paige said brightly as she re-entered the room, "Are we in the mood for blue, purple, or pink with sparkles?"

After all three of them had acquired matching sets of brilliant blue toes, Piper allowed Paige to orb herself and Phoebe to the downstairs couch so they could watch cartoons. Making sure they were comfortable, Piper decided to take a quick trip to the grocery store, after telling Paige about fifty times to call her cell phone if anything, absolutely _anything_, was wrong. She finally got out the door when Paige called her "Grandma Piper," and Phoebe wrote _get going, worrywart_ on her notepad. When she returned, loaded down with groceries, she found her sisters curled up together on the couch, looking as snug as anything. Phoebe was fast asleep, her head pillowed on Paige's arm, lips slightly parted. Paige was gently stroking her hair, completely ignoring _The Powerpuff Girls_ in favor of watching her sister sleep. She looked up at Piper and smiled.

"Everything okay with you guys?" Piper asked quietly, sitting down on the arm of the couch and running her fingers through Paige's dark hair, pleased to feel that her fever was nearly gone.

"Yeah," Paige murmured, sighing happily at Piper's attention. "I just can't stand to see her suffering," she added, glancing back down at Phoebe's sleeping face.

"Well it's very mutual," Piper assured her, smiling at the picture the two of them made together on the couch—_two peas in a pod_, she though privately. "She said the same thing about you when you first got sick."

"She did?" Paige asked, looking up at Piper with genuine surprise.

"Paige," Piper said with a wry grin, "She broke down and cried when you were screaming in your sleep."

"Oh…wow," Paige murmured, leaning down to kiss Phoebe's forehead with a shy grin on her face, as if she didn't quite believe she was worth it. Then the ringing of the phone pulled Piper off the couch, and jerked Phoebe from her slumber.

"Hey, sweetie," Paige cooed, wrapping her arms around Phoebe's stomach and nuzzling her hair. "Did you have a good nap?" Phoebe nodded drowsily, turning over to snuggle against Paige, burying her face in her sister's warm neck with a small, sleepy sigh. They both looked up curiously when they overheard Piper's end of what was obviously a work-related conversation.

"You're going to have to handle this one without us, Darryl," Piper was saying in her most no-nonsense voice. "The Charmed Ones are off duty this week."

_"Off duty?"_ Darryl repeated incredulously. It was a phrase he had never heard from any of them before. _"What does that mean?"_

"It means Phoebe and Paige are sick, and can't come out to play," Piper explained patiently, looking over her shoulder to give her sisters a playful wink, as if she could sense them watching her.

_"Sick? I didn't think you guys could get sick,"_ Darryl said slowly.

"Of course we can get sick, Darryl, we're human beings for God's sake. Like I said—" Paige looked down as she felt Phoebe tugging her sleeve. Phoebe pointed to Piper, and the phone.

"Piper, Pheebs wants the phone," Paige announced, stretching out her hand for the cordless handset.

"Why? She can't talk," Piper said impatiently, trying to juggle two conversations at once. "No, Darryl, it's nothing serious, just the virus from hell…no, Darryl, I did _not _mean that literally…" Phoebe glared at Piper's back, and then looked back at Paige, rolling her eyes and stretching out her hand restlessly.

"Piper," Paige said again, a bit louder, "Phoebe _really_ wants the phone." Piper turned and gave them both a very mom-like look of exasperation.

"Phoebe, _no!"_ She said impatiently, as if her sister were a small, yapping dog. Phoebe scowled.

_"Phone,"_ Paige said simply, holding out her hand. Immediately, the phone orbed into her open hand.

"Paige!" Piper squealed indignantly.

"Hey Darryl, it's Paige. Talk to Pheebs a second, okay?" Paige handed her sister the phone with a bright smile, completely ignoring Piper's spluttering. The moment Phoebe touched the phone, she gasped and went rigid, clearly thrown into a premonition. Angry though she may have been, Piper would never interrupt one of Phoebe's premonitions, and she immediately fell silent. After a few moments, Phoebe's eyes fluttered open, and she motioned toward the pad and pencil on the coffee table, which Paige quickly handed her. Phoebe began to write furiously, ignoring Darryl's confused voice reverberating out of the phone. Then, with a tired sigh, she handed the pad over to Paige.

"Darryl," Paige said crisply, "Phoebe says the missing boy you're looking for is trapped in the sewer under the South Van Ness BART station, and the demons who kidnapped him have been killed by bounty hunters, but they never found the kid. So you can just go on down there and get him. 'Kay? Bye." Paige hung up smiling. "Good job, Pheebs," she grinned, and the two shared a high five. They both looked over at a scowling Piper.

"C'mon, Pipe, don't even _try_ to tell us we shouldn't have done that," Paige said reasonably. "Phoebe didn't even have to get off the couch!"

"I know, I know," Piper admitted, with a grudging smirk. After a pause, she added, "You two are gonna drive me completely insane, aren't you?" Phoebe and Paige looked at each other innocently. Phoebe rubbed her nose, and shrugged.

"Think of it as practice for when you and Leo start having kids," Paige grinned. "When will that be, anyway?"

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully, and at lunch Paige even managed to get Phoebe to eat almost an entire bowl of lentil soup without complaint.

"Hey," Piper said suddenly after she'd cleared the dishes, "I almost forgot, I got you guys a surprise while I was out."

"What is it?" Paige asked, eyebrows raised in interest. Piper reached into a bag, and pulled out a copy of the new Harry Potter.

"Oh, yay!" Paige said happily. "Will you read it to us, Piper?"

They'd gotten almost a quarter of the way into the 600-odd page novel when Piper looked up to see both her sisters fast asleep in her bed, curled up against each other like a couple of baby penguins. Grinning, Piper slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the closet, where she pulled out Prue's old camera. She knew they'd kill her if they saw her taking their picture right now—and, objectively, Piper knew that her sisters weren't looking their best at the moment—but she simply couldn't help herself. Looking through the viewfinder, Piper focused in on the two of them, arms and legs tangled together, Phoebe's head snuggled under Paige's chin. Phoebe always looked incredibly young when she was asleep, and with her flushed cheeks and pink little nose, Paige did too. Piper had the strangest sensation, as she snapped the picture, that she actually _was_ taking a photo of her sisters in their childhood. Quietly, Piper stowed the camera back in the closet, and crawled into the big bed behind Paige, deciding that an afternoon nap was a perfect idea.

The daylight had faded into a murky dusk when Phoebe woke coughing. Sleepy and disoriented, Paige immediately sat up, pulling Phoebe with her.

"S'okay, Pheebs," she murmured, rubbing her sister's quivering back without opening her eyes. Piper crawled over Paige and reached out across her, grabbing the water she'd left on the bureau.

"Take a little sip of this, sweetie," Piper urged her. Phoebe doubled over violently, unable to catch her breath. For a moment her eyes widened with panic.

"It's okay, Phoebe, you're okay," Piper soothed. "Paigey's got you; just relax, and breathe." Paige's eyes opened more fully at that, suddenly alert and unsure of herself. She _was_ sure that Piper wouldn't let anything bad happen, though, so she figured she must be doing something right, and kept up her firm rubbing of Phoebe's back until her sister finally took a normal breath, collapsing back against her in relief. Paige pressed her hand against Phoebe's forehead, holding her there as she rocked her gently, murmuring soothing nonsense in her ear. Piper wondered whether the fact that Paige had been sound asleep less than thirty seconds ago was what allowed her to act so instinctually, rather than go to pieces as she had before. She handed over the water glass, and watched silently while Paige helped Phoebe take a few small sips. Then Paige took a short, deep breath, and sneezed right into the back of Phoebe's hair. Phoebe jumped in surprise as Paige orbed out.

"Oops," Paige mumbled, both hands pressed over her face with an abashed expression in her eyes when she reappeared. "Sorry," she squeaked from behind her hands. Phoebe was grinning in mild amusement, though, and gave her little sister a pat on the head, then reached out and playfully tweaked her nose.

"I know, I know," Paige groaned with a roll of her eyes. "Rudolph here, reporting for sleigh duty." They all giggled for a moment. Then Paige twisted her whole upper body away from Phoebe, sneezing several times in rapid succession, and orbing in and out like a human strobe light.

"Gesundheit," Piper said mildly, handing Paige a fresh box of Kleenex. "I'd say it's definitely time for both of you to have another dose of the good stuff."

"Ugh," Paige mumbled behind a handful of Kleenex, either in agreement or complaint, Piper couldn't quite tell which. It didn't matter, though, as Paige was far past the point of trying to resist Piper's command, swallowing the bitter concoction without uttering a sound.

"Piper," Paige said softly, in a very stuffy voice, "Cad we hab sobe ice cweamb?"

It was the first thing Phoebe had been happy to put in her mouth all day, and her smile seemed to help Paige perk up, too, despite the heavy, leaden feeling in her head and a sudden return to almost constant sniffling. Phoebe reached for her notepad, holding it up for Piper with wide, hopeful eyes. _Tell Paige a story about Prue,_ she'd written.

"You want to hear about Prue, huh little one?" Piper asked, smiling. Phoebe nodded, curling up with her head in Piper's lap, giving a small sigh of pleasure when Piper's hands found her hair. "Okay. Let's see…"

"Piper, where's Prue?" Twelve-year-old Phoebe asked urgently. "She promised she'd make it! She promised!"

"I'm sure she will, Pheebs," Piper assured her agitated sister. "Now you better get out on the field, your teammates are all warming up." With a disgruntled sigh, Phoebe jogged out onto the grass, joining in the group exercises. _You better show, Prue_, Piper thought angrily, replaying the argument that had erupted over breakfast in her head. It had been stupid, as most of Phoebe and Prue's arguments were; as usual, Phoebe had borrowed something of Prue's without asking, and Prue had had a fit. And while Piper knew that her older sister had every right to be pissed at the youngest, sometimes she just wished that seventeen-year-old Prue would cut twelve-year-old Phoebe some slack; today of all days. But it didn't look like Prue would be forgiving Phoebe in time to come and watch her final soccer match of the fall season.

The whistle blew, and the players all moved into position. Piper felt a pang when she saw Phoebe's eyes search the crowd hopefully for a head of long black hair, and a pair of piercing blue eyes.

"Dammit, Prue," Piper sighed under her breath. Another shrill whistle, and the game had begun. Being so small and spry, Phoebe was usually the fastest forward on her team, but today Piper could see that she was lagging, letting two perfectly good passes get by her without taking advantage of them.

"C'mon, Pheebs, do your thing!" Piper hollered, hoping she could somehow make up for her older sister's absence. Then another whistle blow caused Piper to turn, along with the rest of the crowd, toward something coming toward them from off the field. A sea of red and white puffballs slowly resolved itself into the high school cheerleading squad, marching purposefully toward the junior high field, already in formation with Prue in the lead.

"Okay, squad!" Prue hollered when she reached the edge of the field. "Today is my sister Phoebe's birthday, so let's give her team some love!" The cheerleaders shrieked with enthusiasm, quickly going into a call-and-response cheer with the crowd, who welcomed them with an even greater shout of approval. Piper's face split in a wide grin, as she looked from Prue, who raised her arms triumphantly at the top of the human pyramid with a silly grin on her face, to Phoebe, who stood motionless in the middle of the field with an even sillier grin. Then Phoebe snapped out of it, and raced to intercept the ball. By the time her team left the field in triumph, Phoebe had scored three goals out of the winning five.

"Prue!" Phoebe shouted at the top of her lungs, flinging herself at her sister at top speed as the field was emptied. "You came! You really came!"

"Of course I came!" Prue laughed, twirling Phoebe around in her arms until they both got dizzy, and Prue fell back into the grass with Phoebe sitting on her stomach, laughing hysterically. "You didn't think I'd miss your last game, did you?" Phoebe looked down at her hands, and shrugged silently.

"Thought you were mad at me," she mumbled.

"Hey." Prue tilted Phoebe's chin up in her hand. She was smiling, but her eyes were very serious. "I _was_ mad. But there are some times when that just doesn't matter. I'll always be here for you when it counts, baby girl." Phoebe studied her sister's face silently. Then she flopped down and wrapped both arms and legs around Prue, and kissed her cheek.

"Happy birthday, Phoebe," Prue grinned.

"…You played soccer too?" Paige asked quietly, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"She was great," Piper confirmed, lying down on her side and giving Phoebe's lower back an affectionate scratch. "She scored more goals at twelve than anyone else at fourteen!"

"Wish we could've played together," Paige murmured. The faraway look in her eyes was soon replaced by a telltale fluttering of her lashes, her hand going up automatically to swipe at her itchy nose. As usual, it didn't do a bit of good, and Paige quickly cupped her hands over her face, sneezing three times in a row.

"I'b too tired for this," Paige whined, and Piper noticed that she did indeed have dark circles forming under her eyes. Phoebe held up her _bless you_ sign, smiling gently at her grumpy little sister and pulling her down onto the pillow. They both closed their eyes as Phoebe stroked Paige's hair, and Piper began to hum quietly. It took less than five minutes for both of them to slip into a peaceful slumber, and another five for Piper to join them.


	7. Conclusion

Dear Faithful Readers,

Well, another story comes to an end. It took me forever to figure out how to end this one, as it lacks anything resembling a plot (what my 10th grade English teacher would've called a "slice of life" story). But fortunately for me, Piper told me exactly what to do, and she's almost never wrong about these things. I think everyone will be happy! Enjoy!

**History Repeats Itself—Conclusion**

**By JewWitch**

It was the first night that everyone slept peacefully since the day of Phoebe and Paige's fight. No one woke up in the wee hours of the morning in pain, or screaming from fevered nightmares, and when Piper opened her eyes in the rich, mid-morning sunlight, she felt more relaxed and refreshed than she had in weeks. She wanted to stretch the stiffness from her arms and neck, but found herself pinned to the bed by Phoebe's head pillowed on her shoulder. Careful to disturb her sister as little as possible, Piper gently extricated herself by rolling Phoebe onto her back. Phoebe made a soft murmuring sound, but didn't stir. Piper arched into a long, luxurious stretch, sighing contentedly as she slowly woke up. Propping herself up on one elbow, she peered at her two sleeping sisters. Paige was curled up around her pillow, so deeply asleep she could have been hibernating. Her breathing sounded clearer than it had in days, and she looked extremely peaceful. A quiet sniffling sound drew Piper's attention over to Phoebe, who was twitching slightly as her nose began to run. Having seen her little sister through everything from her first period, to the infamous stomach flu of '87, not to mention the time she fell out of a tree and knocked her front teeth out, Piper was not remotely grossed out by this; she simply reached for a tissue from the bedside table, and very gently wiped her little sister's dripping nose. Rather than quelling Phoebe's sniffling, though, Piper's light touch seemed to make it worse, and Phoebe awoke to the peculiar sensation of sneezing into Piper's hands. Paige woke with a startled squeak, eyes opening wide, and orbed out, all in a fraction of a second.

"Oog," Phoebe groaned, blinking blearily up at Piper with a blank, confused expression, as if her brain hadn't yet realized her eyes were open.

"Bless you," Piper said cheerfully, tossing the crumpled kleenex aside and handing Phoebe a fresh one. Paige orbed back in, wide-awake and glaring. "Nice reflexes," Piper added to her youngest sister, smirking.

"Freakin' A, Phoebe!" Paige growled irritably. "You scared the crap out of me! What have you got in your lungs, a subwoofer?"

"Sorry, Paige, I guess I should've warned you that Phoebe sneezes in surround-sound."

"Hey," Phoebe croaked, her voice still raspy, but without the broken-glass effect, "I'm not _that_ loud."

"Ooh, honey," Piper winced, "does it hurt to talk?"

"Actually…not really," Phoebe murmured speculatively. "Just sounds like crap."

"It doesn't sound bad, Pheebs, it's great!" Paige said happily, her irritation at her rude awakening instantaneously forgotten as she hugged her sister.

"It's definitely good to hear your voice," Piper agreed, kissing the top of Phoebe's hair. "How are you feeling, baby?"

"A lot less awful than yesterday," Phoebe sighed with a yawn. Piper reached out and felt her forehead.

"You're still hot…but not burning-my-hand hot," Piper said, gently smoothing Phoebe's hair back. "We should take your temp; but first let me feel you, Paigey." Paige lay back down with her head on Phoebe's legs so Piper could reach her.

"I don't think I have a fever anymore," Paige announced decisively as Piper laid the back of her hand gently against her sister's cheek. "I don't feel all chilly and trembly."

"Well, sweetie, you feel pretty cool…but you're still a total snot-factory," Piper said with a wink. "Of course," she added as she popped the thermometer into Phoebe's mouth, "That doesn't mean the fever's completely gone…if you're anything like Pheebs, it'll come back up around mid-afternoon, and then tomorrow it'll go away for real."

"Actually, that's how it usually is when I have a fever, too," Paige nodded, blinking bemusedly at her sisters as she contemplated how often they seemed to know her body better than she did herself. "I, uh, didn't think that was normal."

"It's normal for Halliwells," Piper shrugged.

After Piper had been satisfied that Paige was, at least for the moment, fever-free, and that Phoebe's was dropping, they all made their way downstairs to the living room, as Paige had complained that she was actually _sick_ of eating breakfast in bed. She even asked Piper to make pancakes.

"Getting your appetite back?" Piper asked hopefully, handing them each a mug of hot tea.

"Guess so," Paige shrugged.

"Glad one of us is," Phoebe said hoarsely, holding her tea with both hands, obviously trying to warm them.

"Aww, honey, have you got the chills?" Paige asked sympathetically. Phoebe nodded, sniffling miserably. Paige got up and took the quilt from the end of the couch, and wrapped it snugly around Phoebe, her faded baseball shirt and flannel pajama pants disappearing under a fluffy layer of warmth.

"Thanks, Paigey," Phoebe sighed quietly, squirming as deep inside the blanket as she could.

"You still have to eat breakfast, you know," Paige replied. Piper snickered. Phoebe stuck out her tongue. Then Piper left her sisters with the morning cartoons while she went to make blueberry pancakes for all of them. Paige noticed that Phoebe was having a hard time sitting still; she kept sniffing and rubbing her nose irritably. Then her head fell back, eyes sliding shut as she took a deep breath, and Paige flinched automatically. But nothing happened, and a moment later Phoebe let the breath out, pressing her fingers up hard under her nose in an attempt to rub the itch away. That obviously didn't work, because ten seconds later she took another sharp breath, then froze again with her hands hovering over her mouth, an expression of pure torture on her face.

"Stuck?" Paige asked sympathetically.

"Yuh-huh," Phoebe mumbled, eyes barely open. The third time Phoebe's head tilted back, Paige leaned forward and blew a hard breath directly up her nose, exactly as if she were blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. Then she leaned back quickly on her hands, sparing them both from what would have been a painful headbang as Phoebe doubled over, her whole body jerking with a spectacularly loud _"Ehshoo!"_

"God _bless_ you!" Paige exclaimed, shaking her head in quiet amazement. "You know, Pheebs, the next time a demon attacks, I'm just gonna throw some pepper in your face. They'll never know what hit 'em!"

"Ha ha, vewy fuddy," Phoebe grumbled with a cranky pout on her face as she blew her nose. She sniffled so deeply, her shoulders went up to her ears. "This is worse thad whed I coodn't talk."

"Aww, sweetie, I'm sorry," Paige said immediately, patting her sister's shoulder lightly.

"Hmph." Phoebe curled up against the pillow, her pout deepening. Paige was suddenly struck by the fact that Phoebe had been the youngest sister ever longer than she, Paige, had been an only child. It seemed a silly thing to never have quite realized before; when she had met Piper and Phoebe, she met them as her _older_ sisters. But Phoebe was the baby; had always been. Right now Paige could see that part of her sister clearly, and she realized that it was _not_ a great idea to tease her when she was feeling so crummy.

"I wasn't making fun of you, honey, I promise," Paige soothed, gently rubbing Phoebe's back. "It's just, you have no idea what cute little faces you make when you're all sneezy like that."

"She's got you there, Pheebs," Piper said lightly, coming into the room with a large tray of pancakes and orange juice. Paige, who hadn't felt properly hungry in days, wolfed hers down in about three minutes, while Phoebe sat poking hers with the end of her fork, still shivering miserably.

"Are we going to go through this at every meal, Phoebe?" Piper asked patiently. "Hello, you _love_ my blueberry pancakes. Don't you even want to try them?"

"I'm just so _cold_," Phoebe whined, looking up at Piper with big, teary brown eyes. Piper reached out and held Phoebe's hand in both of hers.

"Oh, honey, your hands are like ice!" Piper gasped, rubbing her sister's trembling hand in her own. "No wonder you can't stop shivering."

"Poor baby," Paige cooed, rubbing her back sympathetically. Phoebe jerked her hand quickly from Piper's grasp, and sneezed, her entire head disappearing for a moment inside her blanket cocoon.

"Bless you," Piper and Paige said immediately, no one making any cracks about Phoebe's super-human lung capacity.

"Know what I bet would make you feel better, Pheebs?" Paige asked confidently.

"A shot of Morphine?" Phoebe grumbled darkly.

"A nice hot bath," Paige replied, blithely ignoring her cranky sister's sarcasm.

"Mmm…that sounds good," Phoebe agreed quietly, wiping her runny nose on her sleeve.

"I'll go fill the tub for you, if you'll eat half a pancake," Piper offered shrewdly. Phoebe glowered. "And I'll add lavender bubble bath," Piper added.

"Fine," Phoebe grumbled, immediately picking up her fork and putting a small piece of pancake in her mouth.

"Juice too," Piper added.

_"Piper,"_ Phoebe whined.

"Don't _Piper_ me, Phoebe Penelope Halliwell. You are sick as a dog, and you've barely eaten anything in three days. You need the vitamins." Phoebe seemed to sense that she was dangerously close to crossing a line, and nodded meekly up at her big sister. "Paigey, make sure she finishes it, okay?"

"'Kay," Paige nodded importantly. Piper eyeballed Paige's glass, which was still half full.

"And the same goes for you, you know," Piper added.

"But I ate all my pancakes," Paige complained, knowing as she did so that arguing with Piper was entirely pointless.

"Pancakes don't have vitamin C, Paigey," Piper reminded her. "C'mon, you guys, this is fresh-squeezed, organic orange juice, here. Just drink it, okay?"

"That stuff's so expensive, Piper," Phoebe said in surprise.

"Are you saying your health isn't worth $6.99?" Piper asked, cocking her head with her hands on her hips. Phoebe couldn't think of anything to say to that. Silently, Paige and Phoebe both picked up their glasses and drank. Piper smirked, and went to start the bath.

While Phoebe was soaking in the tub, Piper and Paige passed the time with hearts and crazy eights. It was fun at first, but eventually they had to give it up, because every time Paige sneezed, she orbed out and dropped all her cards. Piper tried not to be too amused by this as she suggested they play a board game instead.

"Um, actually, Piper, can I talk to you about something?" Paige asked hesitantly.

"Of course, sweetie, anything," Piper said immediately, sensing Paige's trepidation. "What's on your mind?"

"Well…it's about Prue," Paige said slowly, watching her sister's eyes closely. Piper stayed silent, but gave her sister and encouraging smile. "It's just, well, Phoebe told me about how you called Grams for your wedding, and I thought…well, I thought…"

"That we could call Prue the same way?" Piper finished for her. Paige nodded.

"Oh, baby, I wish we could…but I already tried; it didn't work. Well, I mean, it _did_ work, but it brought Grams instead of Prue. She said it was too soon for us to see her." A mixture of disappointment and determination welled up in Paige's brown eyes.

"Well, maybe it _was,_ then," she shrugged. "Or maybe we just need the power of three." Piper looked at her sister blankly for a moment, the simplicity of her statement slowly sinking in. "It couldn't hurt to try, could it?"

Phoebe agreed with Paige instantly when she heard her sister's suggestion, and turned toward the attic still wrapped in her towel. Piper had to grab her by the shoulders and steer her back to her room, bundling her up in a pair of warm flannel pajamas, a hooded sweatshirt, and squishy wool socks before letting her into the drafty attic. No one spoke as the candles were lit, and they clasped hands in the circle. They didn't know what to say to each other, knowing that it might not work, and trying not to get their hopes up, for each other's sake. But all of them had the same calm assurance in their eyes that every demon they'd vanquished had seen in its final moments.

"Hear these words, hear our cry, spirit from the other side, cross now the great divide," they chanted, each feeling the warm glow of magic passing through their joined hands as the air around them began to swirl, blowing back their hair and forcing them to turn their faces away. When they looked up again, there was a fourth figure standing in the middle of the circle, with long, straight, black hair.

"…Prue?" Piper whispered, too terrified to hope she could be right.

"Hi Piper," Prue grinned, stepping out of the circle and opening her arms. Piper sobbed and flung herself into her sister's embrace, clinging to her for dear life.

"Oh my god, Prue, are you really here?" Piper choked, even as all her senses rose up and told her that this was her big sister.

"I'm really here, baby," Prue assured her, smoothing Piper's hair back and looking into her eyes. "You summoned me, didn't you?" Prue looked up at her two youngest sisters then, including them in her statement. Phoebe and Paige stood as still as statues at the edge of the circle, open-mouthed and unblinking. "What's the matter with you two-- too big to hug your sister?" Phoebe immediately snapped out of her shock, and flung herself into Prue's arms exactly as Piper had, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"Paigey?" Prue cocked her head at her youngest sister, still standing shyly a few feet away. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I…I…" Paige opened and closed her mouth a few times, completely unable to speak.

"C'mere, baby girl," Prue said gently, holding out her arms with a wide grin on her face. The force holding Paige back from her sisters finally snapped, and a huge smile blossomed on her face as she, too, threw herself into her big sister's arms. They all stood there, laughing, crying and hugging for almost half an hour, until Phoebe got dizzy and stumbled sideways, and Piper insisted they all go downstairs so she could lie down.

"I still can't believe this," Phoebe murmured softly, reaching out to trail her fingers down Prue's face. Prue caught her hand and held it with a smile.

"Me neither," She admitted, brushing Phoebe's hair back and gently feeling her forehead, as if she had never been gone. "I didn't think you guys were ever gonna realize how to call me."

"You mean, the power of three?" Piper asked, frowning. Prue nodded. "But that doesn't make sense," Piper said logically, "We never needed the power of three to call the dead before…"

"Well, in most cases, you don't," Prue agreed. "Grams told you about how you guys weren't allowed to see me…that was _their_ rule," she added, glowering up at the ceiling. "They were afraid you wouldn't be able to move on. But no matter how hard they try, they can't stop you from calling blood to blood," she looked up at Paige affectionately as she spoke. "Nothing beats the power of three."

"How did you know me?" Paige asked quietly, still latched onto Phoebe's side with a nervous look in her eyes, as if she wasn't quite sure where she fit in Prue's statement. "I mean, you knew my name…how did you know who I was?"

"Oh, sweetie," Prue grinned, "You think there are any secrets up there? I felt you the same way I felt Piper and Phoebe; how do you think my obituary got onto your desk?"

"That was you?" Paige gasped.

"Once I knew you were out there, all I could think about was getting the three of you together again…you needed each other. And once you found them, it was all I could do to keep you from running out on them again!" Paige looked down guiltily.

"I didn't mean to…I mean, I didn't think they…"

"I know, Paigey," Prue said soothingly. "You didn't think they wanted you. You thought they looked at you, and wished you were me." Piper and Phoebe both looked at Paige, eyes wide with shock.

"Oh, baby…did you really think that?" Piper asked tenderly, cupping Paige's cheek in her hand. Paige looked at her feet as tears began to well up in her eyes, and nodded.

"You guys m-missed her so m-much," Paige choked, wiping her eyes clumsily. "I c-couldn't…"

"You couldn't be Prue," Phoebe finished quietly. Paige nodded. "Honey, we never wanted you to," Phoebe said earnestly, squeezing her sister's hands tightly in her own. "You're our baby sister, Paigey, and we love you just the way you are." Phoebe sat up and wrapped her arms around her little sister, neither of them noticing Prue and Piper smiling at each other over their heads.

"Your nose is running, Pheebs," Paige said gently when they broke apart. Phoebe blushed and grabbed a tissue from the bedside table.

"That reminds me," Piper said, glancing at her watch, "It's medicine time. Wanna come down and help me, Prue?"

"Actually, uh, about that," Prue said hesitantly, "I have to tell you guys something…don't get mad." They all looked at her blankly, unable to imagine anything that she could possibly say that would make them angry. "The day you guys had your fight, and Paige ran off…I sent the storm."

"What!" Piper exclaimed, her jaw dropping in shock. "Prue, what the hell were you thinking? They got really sick!" Piper yelled at her sister as if the fact that she had changed the weather from the great beyond was an everyday occurrence, on par with forgetting to turn off the air conditioning.

"I didn't mean for that to happen," Prue said earnestly with wide blue eyes. "I just wanted to make Paigey go home! I thought some serious weather would stop her from running away in the heat of the moment…I didn't think she'd just _sit_ there in the middle of a deluge for two damn hours." Prue smirked at her youngest sister, who blushed and looked away. "You never told them, did you Paigey?"

"Told us what?" Piper asked sharply.

"…Wasn't gonna come back," Paige mumbled, looking at her hands. "That day…when I was sitting at the beach, before it started raining, I was trying to decide where to go, to start my life over. I knew if I stayed in San Francisco, you guys would find me…not for me, but for the power of three. I thought we'd all be better off…I thought you'd be better off without me."

"We would _not_ be better off without you!" Phoebe sobbed, throwing her arms around Paige and clinging to her as she began to cry.

"Hey, I know that Pheebs, I know now…" Paige hugged her sister tightly, stroking her hair and reassuring her with gentle words. It had become automatic over the course of the past week; they knew exactly how to comfort each other, and how to take comfort. "Don't worry, big sis, I'm not going anywhere."

"Better not," Phoebe mumbled, wiping her eyes.

"So you guys aren't mad at me, are you?" Prue asked meekly.

"Prue, how could we _possibly_ be mad at you?" Piper exclaimed, blinking back her own tears. "If you hadn't…I mean if you didn't…we would've lost Paige." Piper's voice finally broke, and she crumpled into Prue's arms, hot tears spilling down her face. Prue held her fiercely, telling her what a good job she'd done taking care of her sisters, and how proud she was of her. Piper held onto her for dear life, her fingers clenched in the fabric of Prue's shirt as if she were terrified her sister might simply vanish.

"Don't ever leave me again, okay?" Piper whispered in Prue's hair.

"Oh, Piper," Prue sighed, pulling back to look her sister in the eyes, "I never did."

"We forgive you too, Prue," Phoebe said croakily from the bed, with a cough. "Of course, that might just be my overcooked brain talking."

"Actually, Pheebs, I think it worked out better this way."

_"Better?"_ Phoebe repeated incredulously.

"Well, yeah. When Paigey got sick, you both got a muchly needed kick-start to your big-sister instincts…and then when you started babying her, she got a chance to see how much you care about her, and what it really means to be sisters. And because she was so vulnerable, she started trusting you a lot faster. And you guys started trusting her, too…especially you, Pheebs."

"She takes good care of me," Phoebe smirked, making a silly face at her little sister.

"Actually, I think that's Piper," Paige said quietly. Suddenly everyone was looking at Piper, who felt a furious blush coloring her cheeks as she looked at her feet.

"Thanks for taking such good care of us, Pipe," Phoebe said, her voice hoarse but still full of love.

"Yeah," Paige added, lying down with her head on Phoebe's shoulder and smiling up at Piper shyly. "Thanks, Piper, for making me not an orphan anymore."

"Oh, Paigey," Piper sniffed, letting go of Prue to crawl into bed with her two younger sisters, hugging them both as hard as she could. Then she turned, and they all grinned up at Prue, who flopped down on the bed next to them, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek. Paige yawned as Prue ran her fingers through her sister's black hair, so much like own.

"You guys need to take your medicine before you both fall asleep," Prue said quietly, getting up along with Piper amid drowsy protest from Phoebe and Paige.

"Prue, don't go," Phoebe mumbled, blinking and rubbing her eyes.

"I'm not leaving, little one, I'm just going to the kitchen," Prue soothed, falling into an old habit of tucking Phoebe's hair behind her ear.

"How long you gonna stay?" Phoebe persisted, half-awake.

"I'll still be here when you wake up, honey." Phoebe nodded, and promptly fell asleep. Her eyes barely opened when Prue came back a minute later and put an arm behind her shoulders, helping her sit up just enough to take her medicine before she was out again. Then Prue smiled down at a puffy-eyed Paige, sitting with her and stroking her hair until she fell asleep, too. Quietly, Prue tiptoed from the bedroom, slipping down the stairs to the kitchen and Piper. The second-oldest Halliwell stood in front of the sink, her back to Prue with soap suds dripping off her elbows.

"Okay, I know angry dish-scrubbing from regular dish-scrubbing, Miss Piper. What's wrong?" Piper dropped the pan she was washing back into the sink, and sighed.

"You're not staying, are you?" she asked softly, not turning around.

"No, honey, you know I can't."

"Why not?" Piper asked desperately, turning to her sister with pleading, reddened eyes.

"For the same reason you can go scuba diving, but you can't live underwater," Prue said quietly, holding her sister's face with both hands.

"How can I feel so good, and hurt so much, at the same time?" Piper whispered, her voice trembling violently.

"Shhh," Prue murmured, wrapping her arms around her shaking sister. "I'm always with you, Piper, always…I'll never stop looking out for you, do you hear me?"

"I hear you," Piper sniffled, her tears soaking into Prue's shoulder.

"You, Pheebs and Paige are the power of three now," Prue said lovingly, her hand running through Piper's sleek brown hair. "The part in the middle, where you're all connected…the part that holds it all together…that's me." Piper smiled bravely. "And, you know," Prue added, a playful lilt slipping into her voice, "Anytime you need me, I'm just a trans-dimensional summoning spell away." Piper giggled and smacked Prue on the hip.

"Smart ass."

For the rest of the afternoon, the four sisters did nothing but play, laugh, and be silly with each other, giving Paige a taste of what childhood with them would've been like. Piper and Prue even put on a sock-puppet play for their little sisters, exactly as they had done for Phoebe when she was sick as a child. They ate ice cream and watched 80's movies, and made a huge mess of the living room with a supernaturally suspended blanket fort. By evening, Piper's prediction that Paige's fever would come back proved right, and both Paige and Phoebe were exhausted and emotionally drained. That didn't stop them from trying to resist when Prue and Piper told them it was time for bed.

"S'not even late," Paige grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"C'mon, baby girl, you're _soooo_ tired," Piper hummed, threading her arm behind Paige's back and gently guiding her up the stairs. Prue was right behind her, carrying Phoebe on her back with her arms locked around her sister's neck. They were both asleep the moment they hit the bed, snuggling up together unconsciously.

"Can you imagine what it would've been like to have these two on our hands growing up?" Prue asked quietly, leaning down to run her fingers through Paige's hair again.

"Mmm…double-trouble," Piper said wryly. "We wouldn't have had a chance."

**Epilogue**

"Paige, your breakfast is getting cold!" Piper hollered up the stairs, pouring coffee with one hand and wiping the counter with the other.

"I don't have time for breakfast," Paige exclaimed breathlessly as she came hurtling into the kitchen at top speed. "I have a placement hearing at work I'm gonna be late for if I don't leave right now!"

"Paige, we all promised we'd take care of ourselves," Piper said sternly.

"That's right," Phoebe agreed with her mouth full of cereal. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Fine, I'll take a muffin and eat it on the way."

"Paige." Piper cocked her head.

"Okay, okay!" Paige sighed. "I'll take some orange juice, too." Piper handed her the requested items with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

"Have a good day, dear," she deadpanned.

"My sister the comedian," Paige said with a roll of her eyes.

"Bye Paigey, be good!" Phoebe called after her as Paige hurried out the door.

"You too!" Paige called back over her shoulder. "Don't forget yoga class at five!" Phoebe got up as the door closed behind her sister, drained her coffee, and grabbed her briefcase.

"Well, I'm off to the newspaper," she said cheerfully. "Have a great day, Pipe." Giving her sister a quick kiss on the cheek, Phoebe followed Paige out the door. Alone in the kitchen, Piper silently walked across the floor to a different door, the one that lead down to Prue's old darkroom. A few minutes later, she came back up holding an 8x10'' black and white photograph. It showed Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige, all sitting together on the couch and smiling. Across the top, Prue had written _The Power of Four_. Smiling gently, Piper hung the photo right next to Grams' portrait. Then she turned, took her keys off the hook, and headed for P3.

THE END


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